Cinnamic Alcohol (Cinnamyl Alcohol)
A Fragrance Mix I allergen that the skin turns into cinnamal — which is why it travels with cinnamon and balsam of Peru
INCICinnamyl Alcohol
- Category
- Fragrance
- Risk level
- medium
- Why it's flagged
- EU-labelled fragrance allergen and a Fragrance Mix I component; a "prohapten" activated to cinnamal in skin
- What it is
- A warm, balsamic-floral fragrance alcohol from cinnamon bark, balsam of Peru, and hyacinth
- Why it matters
- A "prohapten" — skin enzymes convert it to cinnamal (cinnamaldehyde), an even stronger sensitiser
- Cross-reactors
- Cinnamal, balsam of Peru, and other cinnamon-family materials
- EU labelling
- Must be named above 0.001% (leave-on) / 0.01% (rinse-off); on the expanded 2023 allergen list
Look for these names on ingredient lists
This ingredient may appear under any of these names:
Commonly found in
Possible reactions
- Allergic contact dermatitis
- Facial and neck rash from fragranced cosmetics
- Hand dermatitis from fragranced soaps
- Cross-reactions with cinnamal and balsam of Peru
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What is cinnamic alcohol?
Cinnamic alcohol (INCI: Cinnamyl Alcohol) is a warm, balsamic, slightly spicy-floral fragrance compound found naturally in cinnamon bark, balsam of Peru, and hyacinth. It's one of the eight components of Fragrance Mix I (FM I) — the most widely used fragrance-allergy patch-test screen — and an EU-labelled allergen. Besides scenting perfumes, cosmetics, and soaps, it's also a starting material used to manufacture other fragrance chemicals (including cinnamal).
The "prohapten" twist
The key to understanding cinnamyl alcohol is that it's a prohapten: it isn't very reactive on its own, but skin enzymes oxidise it into cinnamal (cinnamaldehyde) — a stronger sensitiser. So the allergen your immune system actually reacts to is largely the cinnamal your skin makes from it.
That metabolic link explains its behaviour:
- It co-sensitises with cinnamal. A reaction to one usually means a reaction to the other.
- It cross-reacts with balsam of Peru, which contains the same cinnamon-family compounds, and with cinnamon oil.
- It's why a "cinnamon-family" allergy is best managed as a group, not one ingredient at a time.
Cinnamyl alcohol, cinnamal, cinnamon oil, and balsam of Peru are effectively one extended family on a label. If your patch test flags any of them, scanning for the whole group — rather than a single word — is what actually keeps you clear.
How to spot and avoid it
- Read labels for Cinnamyl Alcohol / Cinnamic Alcohol, plus Cinnamon (Cinnamomum) Bark Oil and Myroxylon Pereirae (Balsam of Peru).
- Treat cinnamal and balsam of Peru as off-limits too if you react.
- Be wary of warm, spicy, balsamic, and oriental fragrances.
- Go fragrance-free for leave-on products if you're FM I-positive.
Safer alternatives
- Fragrance-free cosmetics and soaps (e.g. Dove Sensitive, Cetaphil, Vanicream — verify the list).
- Cinnamon-free, fragrance-free oral-care products.
- Niche "allergen-free" fragrances formulated to avoid the EU-labelled fragrance allergens.
The bottom line
Cinnamic (cinnamyl) alcohol is a Fragrance Mix I allergen whose real significance is chemical: your skin turns it into cinnamal. That's why it never travels alone — manage it together with cinnamal, cinnamon oil, and balsam of Peru as a single cinnamon-family avoidance.
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References & further reading
- Fragrance Mix I and cinnamyl alcohol — overview DermNet
- Cinnamyl alcohol as a prohapten — review PubMed / Contact Dermatitis
- CosIng / Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 (labelled fragrance allergens) EUR-Lex