Is 2-Methylbenzoxazole safe in cosmetics?
2-Methylbenzoxazole has a safety rating of "MODERATE" in our database. EU status: prohibited. US status: permitted.
MODERATE
Cosmetic Ingredient
2-Methylbenzoxazole
INCI: 2-METHYLBENZOXAZOLE
2-Methylbenzoxazole (CAS 95-21-6) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Fragrance ingredient. EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: prohibited. Industrial safety data is also available in the chemical safety database. Same-CAS public records also appear in industrial chemical safety data.
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
2-Methylbenzoxazole is prohibited in EU cosmetics but has active industrial GHS classifications (H226, H302, H312, H315, H318, H319, H332, H335).
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu status; Chemicals: ghs classifications.signal word/hazard statement code
Function
Fragrance ingredient
Editorial assessment
MODERATE
Preliminary editorial note — not a computed safety verdict.
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
2-methyl-1,3-benzoxazole
InChIKey
DQSHFKPKFISSNM-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
prohibited
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Permitted — no specific FDA restriction; falls under general fragrance ingredient allowance
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for 2-Methylbenzoxazole.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Regulatory (2)
JECFA Number
1557
Source: WHO/JECFA
JECFA Evaluation
2-METHYL-4,5-BENZO-OXAZOLE | 2008 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | ">RS 952-JECFA 69/153 | ">FAS 60-JECFA 69/629
Source: WHO/JECFA
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Flavouring and nutrient
Fragrance
Regulatory List Membership (3)
IFRA Fragrance Transparency List
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Consumer Product Chemical
Editorial summary
Preliminary editorial summary for 2-Methylbenzoxazole — not a computed safety verdict. See the sourced toxicological data above.
Regulatory Flags
fragrance-component
ifra_fragrance
fda_food_additive
Chemical Function
Fragrance
Flavouring and nutrient
Regulatory Lists
Europe
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
IFRA Transparency
consumer_product
Australian Status
AICIS status: listed
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 2-Methylbenzoxazole allowed in the EU?
2-Methylbenzoxazole EU regulatory status: prohibited. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does 2-Methylbenzoxazole do in cosmetics?
2-Methylbenzoxazole functions as: Fragrance ingredient. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 95-21-6.
Is 2-Methylbenzoxazole used outside cosmetics?
2-Methylbenzoxazole also appears in industrial chemical safety data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.
Does 2-Methylbenzoxazole have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
2-Methylbenzoxazole is prohibited in EU cosmetics but has active industrial GHS classifications (H226, H302, H312, H315, H318, H319, H332, H335).
Compliance Tools
Check 2-Methylbenzoxazole compliance across multiple jurisdictions:
Ingredient Decoder
Paste a full ingredient list for instant analysis
82 Allergen Checker
Check for EU declarable fragrance allergens
Substance Compliance
Check compliance across multiple jurisdictions
MoS Calculator
Calculate Margin of Safety using SCCS methodology
Heavy Metal Limits
Compare limits across jurisdictions
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