Is 2-Methylbutyraldehyde safe in cosmetics?
2-Methylbutyraldehyde has a safety rating of "MODERATE" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
MODERATE
Cosmetic Ingredient
2-Methylbutyraldehyde
Also known as: Butanal, 2-methyl-, 3-01-00-02813, Acetaldehyde, ethylmethyl-, BRN 1633540, EINECS 202-485-6 (+11 more)
INCI: 2-METHYLBUTYRALDEHYDE
2-Methylbutyraldehyde (CAS 96-17-3) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Fragrance ingredient. 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-Methylbutyraldehyde is classified GHS Danger (H225, H317, H319, H335, H411, H401) 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
Editorial assessment
MODERATE
Preliminary editorial note — not a computed safety verdict.
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
2-methylbutanal
InChIKey
BYGQBDHUGHBGMD-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Permitted — FEMA GRAS; no FDA cosmetic-specific restriction
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-Methylbutyraldehyde.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
HRIPT Human Patch Test Studies
1 human repeat insult patch test aggregated from dermatological literature.
| Test Type | N | Sensitized | Dose µg/cm² | NESIL µg/cm² | Potency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMT | - | 0 | 675 | - | - |
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Intermediate
Tonnage Band
Intermediate use only
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE; GROUP
SVHC Candidate
No
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Regulatory (2)
JECFA Number
254
Source: WHO/JECFA
JECFA Evaluation
2-METHYLBUTYRALDEHYDE | 1997 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 884-JECFA 49/37 | FAS 40-JECFA 49/189
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-Methylbutyraldehyde — not a computed safety verdict. See the sourced toxicological data above.
Regulatory Flags
potential-allergen
fragrance-component
ifra_fragrance
fda_food_additive
jecfa_safe
Known Synonyms
Butanal, 2-methyl-
3-01-00-02813
Acetaldehyde, ethylmethyl-
BRN 1633540
EINECS 202-485-6
FEMA No. 2691
Methyl ethyl acetaldehyde
alpha-Methylbutanal
2-Methyl-1-butanal
alpha-Methylbutyraldehyde
alpha-Methylbutyric aldehyde
Methylethylacetaldehyde
alpha-2-Methyl-n-butanal
UNII-47H597M1YY
(+/-)-2-Methylbutanal
(+/-)-2-Methylbutyraldehyde
Chemical Function
Fragrance
Flavouring and nutrient
Regulatory Lists
IFRA Transparency
Europe
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
consumer_product
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.
Compound
2-METHYLBUTANAL
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL2270060
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-METHYLBUTYRALDEHYDE
ADI
No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent mg/kg bw
Food Category
flavoring
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 2-Methylbutyraldehyde allowed in the EU?
2-Methylbutyraldehyde EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does 2-Methylbutyraldehyde do in cosmetics?
2-Methylbutyraldehyde functions as: Fragrance ingredient. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 96-17-3.
Is 2-Methylbutyraldehyde used outside cosmetics?
2-Methylbutyraldehyde 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-Methylbutyraldehyde have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
2-Methylbutyraldehyde is classified GHS Danger (H225, H317, H319, H335, H411, H401) in the chemicals database but is allowed in EU cosmetics.
Compliance Tools
Check 2-Methylbutyraldehyde 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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