Is 2-Methylbutanol safe in cosmetics?
2-Methylbutanol has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
2-Methylbutanol
Also known as: 4-01-00-01666, BRN 1718810, dl-sec-Butyl carbinol, EINECS 205-289-9, EINECS 252-163-4 (+13 more)
INCI: 2-METHYLBUTANOL
2-Methylbutanol (CAS 137-32-6) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Fragrance ingredient; solvent. EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: permitted. Industrial safety data is also available in the chemical safety database. Same-CAS public records also appear in industrial chemical safety, pharmaceutical, and food safety data.
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
2-Methylbutanol is classified GHS Danger (H226, H315, H318, H332, H335, H319) in the chemicals database but is allowed in EU cosmetics.
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu status; Chemicals: ghs classifications.signal word/hazard statement code
Function
Fragrance ingredient; solvent
Editorial assessment
GOOD
Preliminary editorial note — not a computed safety verdict.
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
2-methylbutan-1-ol
InChIKey
QPRQEDXDYOZYLA-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Permitted — no FDA restriction; CIR has not issued a separate review (fragrance ingredient reviewed collectively)
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-Methylbutanol.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
GHS Hazard Classification
Globally Harmonized System classification per ECHA C&L inventory and ILO/WHO International Chemical Safety Cards.
Short-term Exposure Effects
The substance is irritating to the eyes, skin and respiratory tract. If this liquid is swallowed, aspiration into the lungs may result in chemical pneumonitis. The substance may cause effects on the central nervous system.
Long-term Exposure Effects
The substance defats the skin, which may cause dryness or cracking.
Routes of Exposure
The substance can be absorbed into the body by inhalation of its vapour and by ingestion.
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
100 - 1,000 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (2)
ICSC Safety Card
0506
Source: WHO/JECFA
Skin Eye Respiratory Irritation
... Severely irritating to the eyes, minimally irritating to the skin.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Regulatory (5)
JECFA Number
1199
Source: WHO/JECFA
JECFA Evaluation
(+/-)-2-METHYL-1-BUTANOL | 2008 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | ">RS 952-JECFA 69/149 | ">FAS 60-JECFA 69/628
Source: WHO/JECFA
JECFA Evaluation
ACTIVE PRIMARY AMYL ALCOHOL | 2008 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | ">RS 952-JECFA 69/149 | ">FAS 60-JECFA 69/628
Source: WHO/JECFA
JECFA Evaluation
sec-BUTYLCARBINOL | 2008 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | ">RS 952-JECFA 69/149 | ">FAS 60-JECFA 69/628
Source: WHO/JECFA
JECFA Evaluation
ACTIVE AMYL ALCOHOL | 2008 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | ">RS 952-JECFA 69/149 | ">FAS 60-JECFA 69/628
Source: WHO/JECFA
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Flavouring and nutrient
Fragrance
Solvent
Regulatory List Membership (3)
IFRA Fragrance Transparency List
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Consumer Product Chemical
Editorial summary
Preliminary editorial summary for 2-Methylbutanol — not a computed safety verdict. See the sourced toxicological data above.
Regulatory Flags
fragrance-component
ifra_fragrance
fda_food_additive
Known Synonyms
4-01-00-01666
BRN 1718810
dl-sec-Butyl carbinol
EINECS 205-289-9
EINECS 252-163-4
2-Methyl butanol-1
UNII-7VTJ239ASU
(+/-)-2-Methyl-1-butanol
(1)-2-Methylbutan-1-ol
(S)-(-)-2-Methyl-1-butanol
(S)-2-Methylbutan-1-ol
2-Methyl-(.+/-.)-1-Butanol
2-Methyl-(2S)-1-Butanol
2-Methyl-(S)-1-Butanol
CH3CH2CH(CH3)CH2OH
D-2-METHYL-1-BUTANOL
DL-2-METHYL-1-BUTANOL, PRACT
DL-2-Methyl-1-butanol
Chemical Function
Fragrance
Flavouring and nutrient
Solvent
Regulatory Lists
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
air; detected; emissions; Europe; Other direct contact consumer goods
detected; Europe; Other direct contact consumer goods
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
Europe
IFRA Transparency
consumer_product
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
Australian Status
AICIS status: listed
Cross-Vertical Safety Context
Same-CAS public records found in pharmaceutical and food safety data.
SOURCE
ChEMBL / DrugCentral / FAERS
DB_PHARMA CAS match
Pharmaceutical Data
Same-CAS rows from the pharmaceutical spoke database.
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL451923
SOURCE
EFSA / FDA GRAS
food_additives
Food Safety Data
Same-CAS food additive or FDA GRAS records from the core public database.
Food Name
2-METHYL-1-BUTANOL
Food Category
flavoring
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 2-Methylbutanol allowed in the EU?
2-Methylbutanol EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does 2-Methylbutanol do in cosmetics?
2-Methylbutanol functions as: Fragrance ingredient; solvent. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 137-32-6.
Is 2-Methylbutanol used outside cosmetics?
2-Methylbutanol also appears in industrial chemical safety, pharmaceutical, and food safety data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.
Does 2-Methylbutanol have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
2-Methylbutanol is classified GHS Danger (H226, H315, H318, H332, H335, H319) in the chemicals database but is allowed in EU cosmetics.
Compliance Tools
Check 2-Methylbutanol 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
Related Ingredients
2,6-Dimethyl-7-octen-2-ol (Dihydromyrcenol)
EXCELLENT
Same category
Fragrance (perfuming), masking
2-Ethoxy-2,6,6-Trimethyl-9-Methylenebicyclo[3.3.1]Nonane (Boisiris™)
EXCELLENT
Same category
Fragrance (rich woody, orris/iris roo...
3,6-Dimethyl-3-Octyl Acetate
EXCELLENT
Same category
Fragrance / Perfuming agent with flor...
3-Methyl-5-(2,2,3-Trimethyl-3-Cyclopentenyl)Pent-4-En-2-Ol (Sandalore)
EXCELLENT
Same category
Perfuming / Fragrance (sandalwood note)
4-Tert-Butylcyclohexyl Acetate
EXCELLENT
Same category
Fragrance
Acetoin
EXCELLENT
Same category
Skin conditioning, fragrance
(AGARICUS BLAZEI FERMENT + GANODERMA LUCIDUM FERMENT + GANODERMA MULTIPILEUM FERMENT) EXTRACT
GOOD
Similar safety
Anti-sebum, Antioxidant, Skin Protecting
(ANGELICA ACUTILOBA/PAEONIA LACTIFLORA/REHMANNIA GLUTINOSA) ROOT/CNIDIUM OFFICINALE RHIZOME EXTRACT
GOOD
Similar safety
Skin Conditioning, Skin Conditioning ...
(ANGELICA ACUTILOBA/PAEONIA LACTIFLORA/REHMANNIA GLUTINOSA/SCUTELLARIA BAICALENSIS) ROOT/(CNIDIUM OFFICINALE/COPTIS CHINENSIS) RHIZOME/GARDENIA JASMINOIDES FRUIT/PHELLODENDRON CHINENSE BARK EXTRACT
GOOD
Similar safety
(ANGELICA GIGAS/GLYCYRRHIZA URALENSIS/REHMANNIA GLUTINOSA ROOT)/ANGELICA GIGAS STEM/CARTHAMUS TINCTORIUS FLOWER/(CARTHAMUS TINCTORIUS/PRUNUS PERSICA SEED)PORIA COCOS WATER
GOOD
Similar safety
Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Pr...
(ANGELICA KEISKEI/CHRYSANTHEMUM ZAWADSKII) LEAF/STEM/CINNAMOMUM CASSIA BARK/TRICHOSANTES KIRILOWII FRUIT/ULMUS DAVIDIANA BARK/ROOT/(PAEONIA JAPONICA/BUPLEURUM FALCATUM/POLYGALA TENUIFOLIA ROOT)/VISCUS ALBUM STEM EXTRACT
GOOD
Similar safety
Anti-seborrheic, Anti-sebum, Antioxid...
(APPLE/CITRUS JUNOS/LENTIL/PEAR/PUMPKIN/STRAWBERRY/TOMATO FRUIT)/CORN KERNEL/(ARCTIUM LAPPA/BRASSICA OLERACEA ACEPHALA/CABBAGE/CAMELLIA SINENSIS/MORINGA OLEIFERA/RADISH/SPINACH LEAF)/(SORGHUM BICOLOR LEAF/STEM)/OAT MEAL/POTATO PULP/(CARROT/NELUMBO NUCIFERA/RADISH/WILD YAM ROOT)/(AMARANTHUS HYPOCHONDRIACUS/CASHEW/CICER ARIETINUM/COIX LACRYMA-JOBI MA-YUEN /MACADAMIA TERNIFOLIA/PHASEOLUS ANGULARIS/PISTACIA VERA/RHYNCHOSIA NULUBILIS/RICE/SESAME/SETARIA ITALICA/SOYBEAN/SWEET ALMOND/WHEAT SEED)/HORDEUM VULGARE SPROUT/CYPERUS ESCULENTUS TUBER/ARTEMISIA PRINCEPS/BROCCOLI/CHENOPODIUM QUINOA/ENTEROMORPHA COMPRESSA/HORDEUM VULGARE/IPOMOEA BATATAS/LAMINARIA JAPONICA/LENTINUS EDODES/PLEUROTUS OSTREATUS/PORPHYRA TENERA/UNDARIA PINNATIFIDA EXTRACT
GOOD
Similar safety
Antioxidant
2,4-Diaminophenol HCl
POOR
Chemical family
Oxidative hair dye coupler
2-Heptylcyclopentanone
GOOD
Chemical family
Fragrance ingredient (cyclopentanone ...
Ascorbyl Palmitate
EXCELLENT
Chemical family
Lipophilic antioxidant; ester of asco...
Is 2-Methylbutanol in Your Products?
Scan any product label with Piro — our free ingredient scanner. Point your camera at the ingredients list and get instant safety scores for every ingredient.
Try Piro Free →Analyze Your Full Ingredient List
Paste any INCI list into the Decoder for instant safety analysis, or calculate the Margin of Safety for 2-Methylbutanol in your formulation.