The present invention is an external preparation that comprises (A) a higher alcohol, (B) 0.01-5 wt % of a long chain acyl sulfonate anionic surfactant represented by the following general formula (1), such as stearoyl methyltaurate, and (C) 0.1-5 wt % of tranexamic acid, and has a pH of 3.0-6.0. R1CO-a-(CH2)nSO3M1   (1) [R′CO— denotes a saturated or unsaturated fatty acid residue (acyl group) having 10-22 carbon atoms on average; a denotes —O— or —NR2— (R2 denotes a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1-3 carbon atoms); M1 denotes a hydrogen atom, alkali metal, alkali earth metal, ammonium, or organic amine; n denotes an integer 1-3.]The object of the present invention is to provide an external preparation containing tranexamic acid that does not cause precipitation of tranexamic acid crystals.