Photochemical Products of Benzyl Benzoate: Possible Formation of Skin Allergens

Benzyl benzoate, which has been used in consumer products as a fragrance ingredient, was exposed to sunlight for 11 days in ethanol solutions in the presence of atmospheric oxygen with and without the photosensitizer naphthalene or acetophenone. Light of wavelength longer than 300 nm was expected to promote the photochemical reactions in the samples. Thirty-five products from the exposed samples were isolated and identified using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Major products were the nine compounds produced from the benzoyl radical, including the skin allergens benzaldehyde and benzoic acid.