Do I need a prescription for Phenol crystals?

Phenol crystals is classified as a Valid as a prescribable product in the UK. However, always consult a pharmacist or doctor before use. (Source: NHS dm+d)

What are the brand names for Phenol crystals?

Phenol crystals is the generic name. It is available under brand names including: Phenol crystals, Phenol crystals. (Source: NHS dm+d — Actual Medicinal Products)

Phenol crystals

Other

Phenol is an antiseptic and disinfectant.

Active ingredients:

Phenol

BNF classificationBrowse formulary

Where this medicine sits in the British National Formulary — the UK's standard prescribing reference

BNF 19.04

ATC classificationBrowse ATC index

International classification by the WHO, grouping medicines by the organ system they act on

ATC D08AE03

Chemical classBrowse classes

Classification based on the molecule's chemical structure and properties

Check interactions for Phenol

No active safety alerts

Official documents, adverse reaction reporting, and safety monitoring

Report a side effect

Submit a Yellow Card report to the MHRA

Official medicine documents

Yellow Card

Report side effects (MHRA)

Drug safety updates

MHRA alerts for Phenol

Source: MHRA Products DatabaseOGL 3.0

Updated 3 months ago(16 Jan 2026)

Safety monitoring data

Yellow Card reports

MHRA

The MHRA Yellow Card scheme collects reports of suspected side effects from healthcare professionals and patients. View the Drug Analysis Profile (iDAP) for real-world adverse reaction data.

View Drug Analysis Profile

Suspected adverse reactions reported for Phenol

Browse all iDAP reports

Interactive Drug Analysis Profiles for all medicines

Report a side effect

Submit a Yellow Card report to the MHRA

Data from the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. A reported reaction does not necessarily mean the medicine caused it. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

EudraVigilance

EMA

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) collects suspected adverse reaction reports from across the EU/EEA through the EudraVigilance system. Search for safety data on this medicine.

View EudraVigilance report

Suspected adverse reactions reported for Phenol

About EudraVigilance

Learn about EU pharmacovigilance and safety monitoring

EudraVigilance data is published by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). A suspected adverse reaction is not necessarily caused by the medicine.

2 branded products available

2 productsShow details

2 products

Possibly available on the UK marketDiscontinuedAvailability per NHS dm+d

MHRA licensed products

View all licensed products for Phenol on the MHRA register

Phenol crystals

A A H Pharmaceuticals Ltd

None

Discontinued

Phenol crystals

J M Loveridge Ltd

None

Discontinued

Source: NHS dm+dOGL 3.0

Updated about 1 month ago(1 Mar 2026)

Therapeutically similar medicines

10 similarShow details

Phenol 2% in Aqueous calamine cream

Cream

Same therapeutic group

Phenol 2% in Compound zinc paste

Other

Same therapeutic group

Phenol 80% cutaneous solution - should NOT be prescribed

Other

80%

Same therapeutic group

Phenol 90% cutaneous solution - should NOT be prescribed

Other

90%

Same therapeutic group

Phenol 95% cutaneous solution - should NOT be prescribed

Other

95%

Same therapeutic group

Similarity based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and NHS BNF section grouping. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.

NHS prescribing volume and spending trends

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Clinical guidelines and formulary information

British National Formulary

Phenol

BNF

Drug monograph — bnf.nice.org.uk

Source: British National Formulary, NICE. Joint Formulary Committee. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Check stock at pharmacies and supply information

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Pharmacy stock checkers

Search for this medicine at major UK pharmacy chains. These links open the retailer's own website — results depend on their current online catalogue.

Boots

Search products

Click & collectNHS

Lloyds

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DeliveryNHS

P2U

Pharmacy2U

Search products

DeliveryNHS

Supply & product information

Official product databases and supply status monitoring

Shortages info

NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS)

emc product search

Discontinuations & alternatives for Phenol

Pharmacy links redirect to the retailer's own search and do not represent real-time stock levels. emc (electronic medicines compendium) is operated by Datapharm Ltd. Shortage information sourced from NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS), sps.nhs.uk.

Codes for healthcare professionals and prescribing systems

Show details

These codes are used by healthcare IT systems and prescribers to identify this medicine.

NHS UK identifiers

SNOMED CT

5340711000001105

dm+d ID

5340711000001105

VTM (Virtual Therapeutic Moiety)

777168008

VMP (Virtual Medicinal Product)

5340711000001105

BNF code

19040000

International identifiers

ATC code — Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (WHO)

D08AE03

Browse tools

dm+d Browser

NHSBSA medicines dictionary lookup

SNOMED CT and dm+d codes from NHS TRUD (Technology Reference data Update Distribution), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. BNF codes from NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). ATC codes from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (whocc.no).

Active and completed clinical studies from ClinicalTrials.gov

Show details

Searching UK clinical trials...

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Data accessed via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Trial information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.

Pharmacology and chemical data from DrugBank

go.drugbank.com

Key facts

Drug status

Approved

Major interactions

None known

Half-life

Not available

Mechanism

Phenol is a potent proteolytic agent.

Food interactions

None known

Human targets

7 targets

Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0

Pharmacokinetics at a glance

Absorption

Phenol is rapidly absorbed through the skin and into the lungs.

Volume of distribution

5 min

At I5 min after exposure, the liver contained the highest level of phenol, consisting mainly of free phenol.…

Metabolism

Phenyl sulfate, phenyl glucuronide, quinol sulfate, and quinol glucuronide were detected in human beings as phenol metabolites.

Elimination

The kidney is the primary route of elimination of phenol.

Clearance

72%

In rabbits, 72% is excreted in the urine, 1% in the feces, 4% in the carcass following sacrifice, and trace amounts were exhaled.

Pharmacokinetic data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0

Status:

Approved

Investigational

Small molecule

About this compound

Phenol is an antiseptic and disinfectant. It is active against a wide range of micro-organisms including some fungi and viruses, but is only slowly effective against spores. Phenol has been used to disinfect skin and to relieve itching. Phenol is also used as an oral analgesic or anesthetic in products such as Chloraseptic to treat pharyngitis. Additionally, phenol and its related compounds are used in surgical ingrown toenail treatment, a process termed phenolization. Research indicates that parental exposure to phenol and its related compounds are positively associated with spontaneous abortion. During the second world war, phenol injections were used as a means of execution by the Nazis. Phenol is a toxic compound whose vapours are corrosive to the skin, eyes, and respiratory tract.

Properties:

solid

Avg. mass: 94.11 Da

DrugBank indication

Phenol is primarily indicated for minor sore throat pain, sore mouth, minor mouth irritation, and pain associated with canker sores. Additionally, phenol is indicated in the treatment of focal spasticity.

Also known as(58)

Acide carbolique

Acide phénique

Benzenol

Carbolic acid

Carbolsäure

Fenol

Hydroxybenzene

Karbolsäure

Dosage forms(64)

Spray (Topical)

Gel (Oral)

Liquid (Buccal)

Liquid (Oral)

Solution (Topical)

Spray (Topical) — 1.4 mg/100mL

Kit (Topical)

Stick (Topical)

Molecular properties(19)

Drug interactions(1055)

Known interactions with other medications. Always consult a healthcare professional.

Hyaluronidase (ovine)

Moderate

DB00070

Hyaluronidase (ovine) can cause an increase in the absorption of Phenol resulting in an increased serum concentration and potentially a worsening of adverse effects.

Phenol crystals

Safety & regulatory

Official medicine documents

Safety monitoring data

Yellow Card reports

EudraVigilance

Brand versions and licensed products

Medicines like this

Prescribing statistics

Guidance (NICE / BNF)

British National Formulary

Availability, stocks & shortages

Pharmacy stock checkers

Supply & product information

Professional identifiers

NHS UK identifiers

International identifiers

Browse tools

Clinical trials

DrugBank data

Key facts

Pharmacokinetics at a glance

Absorption

Volume of distribution

Metabolism

Elimination

Clearance

Clinical essentials

Pharmacology

Deep science9

Chemical identifiers

Phenol

Additional database identifiers

DrugBank citations

Deep science
9