2-phenoxyethanol

ChEBI: 2-phenoxyethanol is an aromatic ether that is phenol substituted on oxygen by a 2-hydroxyethyl group. It has a role as an antiinfective agent and a central nervous system depressant. It is a primary alcohol, a glycol ether and an aromatic ether. It is functionally related to a phenol.

Phenoxyethanol is an aromatic ether-alcohol used mainly as a preservative, mostly with methyldibromoglutaronitrile (in Euxyl? K 402) or with parabens. Sensitization to this molecule is very rare.