Danger GHS02GHS05GHS06 NOAEL Data REACH Registered Cosmetic Ingredient

Formic acid

Also known as: EINECS 200-579-1, FEMA No. 2487, RCRA waste number U123, EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 214900, Spirit of formic acid (+15 more)

CAS 64-18-6

Formic acid (CAS 64-18-6) is a chemical substance with GHS signal word Danger; key hazard signal: H226; H290; H331; H302; H314; H318. Key regulatory status: REACH registered, 31 regulatory/inventory lists, cosmetic ingredient cross-reference; source data from ECHA CLP, EPA ToxValDB, EPA CPDat, ECHA REACH, ILO ICSC, OSHA, EPA TRI.

View cosmetic safety profile for Formic Acid →

Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence

Formic acid is classified GHS Danger (H226, H290, H331, H302, H314, H318) in the chemicals database but is restricted in EU cosmetics at max 0.5%.

SOURCE Cross-vertical comparison Cosmetics: ingredients.eu_status/eu_max; Chemicals: eu_clp_annex_vi.signal_word/hazard_statement_code

SOURCE NOAEL studies

NOAEL studies

SOURCE Chemical inventory jurisdictions

Regulatory lists

SOURCE EU CLP Annex VI

GHS signal

Danger

Chemical Identity

CAS, identifiers, formula, and alternate names for the matched substance record.

SOURCE DSSTox identifiers 25 fields

Name

Formic acid

CAS Number

64-18-6

Molecular Formula

CH2O2

InChI Key

BDAGIHXWWSANSR-UHFFFAOYSA-N

Monoisotopic Mass

46.005479

Synonyms

EINECS 200-579-1FEMA No. 2487RCRA waste number U123EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 214900Spirit of formic acidKwas metaniowyKyselina mravenciMierenzuurUNII-0YIW783RG1Formicum acidumAdd-FAmeisensaeure

GHS / CLP Classification

EU harmonized hazard classification, hazard statements, pictograms, and signal word.

SOURCE EU CLP Annex VI (ECHA) 1 classifications

Hazard Class	H-Statements	Pictograms	Signal
Flam. Liq. 3; Met. Corr. 1; Acute Tox. 3; Acute Tox. 4; Skin Corr. 1A; Eye Dam. 1	H226; H290; H331; H302; H314; H318	GHS02; GHS05; GHS06	Danger

ICSC Chemical Safety

International Chemical Safety Card hazard and exposure summary.

SOURCE WHO/JECFA 1 records

Field	Value
GHS Signal Word	DANGER
GHS Hazard Statements	Flammable liquid and vapour Toxic if inhaled Harmful if swallowed Causes severe skin burns and eye damage Harmful to aquatic life
Short-term Effects	The substance is very corrosive to the eyes, skin and respiratory tract. Corrosive on ingestion. Inhalation of the vapour may cause lung oedema. See Notes.
Routes of Exposure	The substance can be absorbed into the body by inhalation of its vapour, through the skin and by ingestion.

OSHA Exposure Limits

Occupational exposure limits from OSHA, NIOSH, and ACGIH rows.

SOURCE OSHA / NIOSH / ACGIH occupational exposure limits 10 records

Agency	Metric	Value	ppm	mg/m3	Skin
OSHA	TWA	5 ppm (9 mg/m³)	5	9	N
NIOSH	TWA	5 ppm (9 mg/m³)	5	9	N
ACGIH	TWA	5 ppm [1965]	5	-	N
ACGIH	STEL	10 ppm [1965]	10	-	N
CAL/OSHA	TWA	5 ppm (9 mg/m³)	5	9	N
CAL/OSHA	STEL	10 ppm (19 mg/m³)	10	19	N
NIOSH	IDLH	30 ppm	30	-	-
AIHA	ERPG-1	3 ppm	3	-	-
AIHA	ERPG-2	25 ppm	25	-	-
AIHA	ERPG-3	250 ppm	250	-	-

Functional Uses

Industrial and product-use categories associated with this substance.

SOURCE EPA CPDat 47 records

pH regulating agentPreservativeChelating agentFragranceFlavouring and nutrientCorrosion inhibitorAdhesion/cohesion promoterProcessing aids not otherwise specifiedAntioxidant

Regulatory Lists

Inventory, screening, and regulatory list matches from public chemical databases.

SOURCE EPA CPDat 31 records

List	Keyword	Source
drinking_water; Europe; manufacturing; plastic_additive	Belgaqua	CPCat
active_ingredient; Pesticides	State of California	State of California
active_ingredient; Pesticides	State of California	State of California
active_ingredient; Pesticides	State of California	State of California
active_ingredient; Pesticides	State of California	State of California
active_ingredient; Pesticides	State of California	State of California
active_ingredient; Pesticides	State of California	State of California
active_ingredient; Pesticides	California Department of Pesticide Regulation	State of California
active_ingredient; Europe; Pesticides	European Commission	CPCat
Canada; consumer_product; Substances in Products - Canada (4/2014)	Government of Canada	CPCat
inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides	EPA	CPCat
Europe; Personal care - body hygiene - hand soap	Danish Environmental Protection Agency	Danish EPA
active_ingredient; Europe; Pesticides	Commission of the European Communities	CPCat
consumer_product; Europe	Danish Environmental Protection Agency	Danish EPA
active_ingredient; Pesticides	MN Department of Agriculture Pesticide Sales Database	CPCat
active_ingredient; Pesticides	MN Department of Agriculture Pesticide Sales Database	CPCat
active_ingredient; Pesticides	MN Department of Agriculture Pesticide Sales Database	CPCat
active_ingredient; Pesticides	MN Department of Agriculture Pesticide Sales Database	CPCat
active_ingredient; Pesticides	MN Department of Agriculture Pesticide Sales Database	CPCat
active_ingredient; animal_products; Europe; pharmaceutical; residue	EU	CPCat
IFRA Transparency	IFRA	IFRA
Europe	European Commission	Fl@vis
fracking	FracFocus	FracFocus
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)	FDA	United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
SCIL (9/2019)	USEPA	Safer Chemical Ingredients List
Canada; pharmaceutical	DrugBank	DrugBank
Canada; pharmaceutical	DrugBank	DrugBank
consumer_product	P&G	Proctor & Gamble
Cleaning products and household care - general household cleaning; Cleaning products and household care - laundry and fabric treatment; Personal care - general moisturizing	P&G	Proctor & Gamble
Cleaning products and household care - dishwasher and dishes - automatic dishwashing detergent; Europe	Danish EPA	Danish EPA
fracking; water	NY Department of Conservation	CPCat

NOAEL Studies

Toxicology endpoints rendered from public NOAEL study rows.

SOURCE NOAEL studies Showing 44 of 44 studies

Value	Unit	Endpoint	Route	Species	Source
range:0-0.10.1	mg/kg bw/day	ADI	-	-	WHO/JECFA
<=3	mg/kg	ADI	oral	Human	WHO/JECFA
range:0-33	mg/kg bw/day	ADI	-	-	WHO/JECFA
=0.3	mg/kg bw	ADI (group)	-	Consumers	EFSA
6.5	min	Breakthrough Time	Dermal	-	NTP ICE skin irritation
15.7	min	Breakthrough Time	Dermal	-	NTP ICE skin irritation
18.5	min	Breakthrough Time	Dermal	-	NTP ICE skin irritation
=9.5	mg/m3	DNEL local	inhalation	Human	ToxValDB GESTIS DNEL
0YIW783RG1	UNII	FDA UNII substance identifier	-	-	openFDA substances
7.4	mg/L	LC50	Inhalation	-	NTP ICE acute inhalation
7.85	mg/L	LC50	Inhalation	-	NTP ICE acute inhalation
15	mg/L	LC50	Inhalation	-	NTP ICE acute inhalation
=1100	mg/kg bw	LD50	oral	Rat	NTP ICE acute oral
=3.388e+5	mg/m3	LEL	inhalation	Human	ToxValDB DOE Protective Action Criteria
=0.12	mg/L	LOAEL	inhalation	Mouse	ToxValDB HPVIS
=2.7	mg/m3	LOAEL (HEC)	inhalation	Rat	ToxValDB PPRTV (CPHEA)
=0.06	mg/L	NOAEL	inhalation	Rat	ToxValDB HPVIS
=120.5	mg/m3	NOAEL	inhalation	Rat	ToxValDB HPVIS
=277	mg/kg bw/day	NOAEL	oral	Rat	ToxValDB PPRTV (CPHEA)
=577	mg/kg bw/day	NOAEL	-	-	WHO/JECFA
range:230-695695	mg/kg bw/day	NOAEL	-	-	WHO/JECFA
=807	mg/kg bw/day	NOAEL	-	-	WHO/JECFA
=945	mg/kg body weight	NOAEL	oral	rabbit	CIR Safety Assessment
1000	mg/kg bw/day	NOAEL	oral	rat	COSMOS DB
=1000	mg/kg body weight/day	NOAEL	-	rat	CIR Safety Assessment
=50	mg/kg bw/day	NOEL	oral	Rabbit	WHO/JECFA
=60	mg/kg bw/day	NOEL	-	-	WHO/JECFA
=125	mg/kg bw/day	NOEL	oral	Rat	WHO/JECFA
=0.0003	mg/m3	RfC	inhalation	Human	ToxValDB Pennsylvania DEP ToxValues
=0.0009	mg/m3	RfC (provisional)	inhalation	Human	ToxValDB PPRTV (CPHEA)
=0.9	mg/kg bw/day	RfD	oral	Human	ToxValDB Pennsylvania DEP ToxValues
1.8	kiloohms	TER	Dermal	-	NTP ICE skin irritation
2.7	kiloohms	TER	Dermal	-	NTP ICE skin irritation
5.8	%	Viability (240 minutes)	Dermal	-	NTP ICE skin irritation
9.6	%	Viability (240 minutes)	Dermal	-	NTP ICE skin irritation
9.9	%	Viability (240 minutes)	Dermal	-	NTP ICE skin irritation
4.3	%	Viability (3 minutes)	Dermal	-	NTP ICE skin irritation
5.7	%	Viability (3 minutes)	Dermal	-	NTP ICE skin irritation
7.8	%	Viability (3 minutes)	Dermal	-	NTP ICE skin irritation
4.4	%	Viability (60 minutes)	Dermal	-	NTP ICE skin irritation
4.8	%	Viability (60 minutes)	Dermal	-	NTP ICE skin irritation
5.6	%	Viability (60 minutes)	Dermal	-	NTP ICE skin irritation
945	mg/kg body weight	developmental toxicity	oral	rabbit	Regulatory source
1000	mg/kg body weight/day	reproductive toxicity	-	rat	Regulatory source

Showing 44 of 44 studies

REACH Registration

Registration status from the ECHA REACH registered substances database.

SOURCE ECHA 1 records

Status	Name	EC Number	Link
Registered	Formic acid	200-579-1	ECHA overview →

EPA Toxic Release Inventory (TRI)

TRI hazard and reporting flags for the matched chemical.

SOURCE EPA Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) chemical list 1 records

Chemical	Category	Flags
Formic acid	-	-

Cosmetic Safety Profile

Same-CAS cosmetic ingredient record for cross-vertical context.

SOURCE CosIng / Ingredients DB

EU Status

restricted

Max

0.5%

Pharmaceutical Data

Same-CAS pharmaceutical records from drug and bioactivity sources.

SOURCE ChEMBL / DailyMed FORMIC ACID

ChEMBL Phase

Not listed

Adverse Events

Bioactivity

View full pharmaceutical profile →

Food Safety Data

Same-CAS food additive, ADI, and GRAS records where available.

SOURCE EFSA 1 records

E236 — ADI: 3 mg/kg bw

View full food safety profile →

Cannabis Data

Same-CAS cannabis compliance and lab records where available.

SOURCE Cannabis regulatory / lab data efsa substances

1 cannabis record found in efsa substances.

View full cannabis profile →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the GHS hazard classification for Formic acid?

Formic acid (CAS 64-18-6) is classified under EU CLP Annex VI as Flam. Liq. 3; Met. Corr. 1; Acute Tox. 3; Acute Tox. 4; Skin Corr. 1A; Eye Dam. 1 with signal word Danger. Hazard statements: H226; H290; H331; H302; H314; H318. Source: EU CLP Annex VI (ECHA).

What is the NOAEL for Formic acid?

Formic acid has 44 NOAEL studies in the database. The lowest reported value is 0.06 mg/L via inhalation in Rat. Source: ToxValDB HPVIS.

What regulatory lists include Formic acid?

Formic acid appears on 18 regulatory/inventory lists including drinking_water; Europe; manufacturing; plastic_additive, active_ingredient; Pesticides, active_ingredient; Europe; Pesticides, and 15 more. Source: EPA CPDat.

What are the occupational exposure limits for Formic acid?

Occupational exposure limits for Formic acid are set by OSHA, NIOSH, ACGIH. 10 limit values from official agencies are documented in the database. Source: OSHA, NIOSH, ACGIH.

Is Formic acid used in cosmetics?

Yes, Formic acid is also indexed as a cosmetic ingredient under the name Formic Acid. View the full cosmetic safety profile on the ingredient page for detailed safety data, SCCS opinions, and regulatory status.

Where does the safety data for Formic acid come from?

Safety data is sourced from ECHA CLP Annex VI, EPA ToxValDB, EPA CPDat, EPA DSSTox, ECHA REACH, ILO/WHO ICSC, OSHA/NIOSH/ACGIH, EPA Toxics Release Inventory, CosIng / Ingredients DB, ChEMBL / DailyMed, EFSA / FDA GRAS, cannabis regulatory/lab databases. All data traces to primary regulatory sources and is updated from official government databases.

Does Formic acid have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?

Formic acid is classified GHS Danger (H226, H290, H331, H302, H314, H318) in the chemicals database but is restricted in EU cosmetics at max 0.5%.

Is Formic acid used outside industrial chemicals?

Formic acid also appears in cosmetics, pharmaceutical, food safety, cannabis databases.