Disclosed is an external preparation for the skin, which contains a surfactant or a preservative that is believed to be a causal substance of skin irritation in a reduced amount and therefore has low irritating properties, and also has high preparation stability. Specifically disclosed is an external preparation for the skin, which is characterized by comprising a rhododendrol represented by general formula (1) and/or a derivative thereof, a nonionic surfactant selected from a sucrose fatty acid ester and a polyglycerin fatty acid ester, and a polyhydric alcohol. The external preparation for the skin has low skin irritation properties, an excellent preservative/anti-fungal effect and high preparation stability. (In general formula (1), R represents a hydrogen atom, an acyl group having 2 to 20 carbon atoms, or a sugar residue of a monosaccharide or a disaccharide.)本發明提供一種皮膚外用劑，其中減少被認為是導致皮膚刺激之原因的界面活性劑或防腐劑的添加量、刺激性較小，且製劑穩定性較高。本發明之皮膚外用劑之特徵在於含有以下述通式(1)表示之杜鵑醇及/或其衍生物、選自蔗糖脂肪酸酯及聚甘油脂肪酸酯之非離子界面活性劑、以及多元醇，其皮膚刺激性較低，且防腐防黴效果優異，製劑穩定性較高。；(1)；(式中，R為氫原子、碳數2～20之醯基、或者單醣類或二醣類之醣殘基)。
