Vanillyl butyl ether is an ether of monohydroxybenzoic acid. It is added to food products as a flavoring agent. It has a characteristic trigeminal, burning, hot pepper nature and can be used in spice flavors like pepper, cinnamon and ginger. It is also present in cosmetics and personal care products as a fragrance ingredient, oral care agent, hair conditioning agent, and warming or cooling agent. Vanilloids contain vanillyl groups that bind to the transient receptor potential type V1 channel (Vanilloid receptor-1, TRPV1) that respond to noxious stimuli such as high temperatures and acidic pH. This causes neurons to release glutamate, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and a variety of neuropeptides, resulting in the warming sensation. Vanillyl butyl ether causes serious eye irritation and may cause an allergic skin reaction.