Is 3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid safe in cosmetics?
3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid has a safety rating of "MODERATE" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
MODERATE
Cosmetic Ingredient
3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid
Also known as: BRN 0508160, EINECS 202-726-5, UNII-2ZFW40OJ7U, 3-Hydroxy benzoate, 3-Hydroxy benzoic acid (+8 more)
INCI: 3-HYDROXYBENZOIC ACID
3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid (CAS 99-06-9) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Antimicrobial, Skin Conditioning. 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.
Function
Antimicrobial, Skin Conditioning
Editorial assessment
MODERATE
Preliminary editorial note — not a computed safety verdict.
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
3-hydroxybenzoic acid
InChIKey
IJFXRHURBJZNAO-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
No specific FDA restriction for cosmetic use
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for 3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Regulatory (1)
JECFA Number
2279
Source: WHO/JECFA
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Flavouring and nutrient
Softener and conditioner
Regulatory List Membership (1)
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Editorial summary
Preliminary editorial summary for 3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid — not a computed safety verdict. See the sourced toxicological data above.
Regulatory Flags
fda_food_additive
jecfa_safe
Known Synonyms
BRN 0508160
EINECS 202-726-5
UNII-2ZFW40OJ7U
3-Hydroxy benzoate
3-Hydroxy benzoic acid
3-Hydroxybenzoate
Acido m-idrossibenzoico
Kyselina 3-hydroxybenzoova
Meta-hydroxybenzoate
Meta-hydroxybenzoic acid
m-Hba
m-Hydroxybenzoate
m-Salicylate
Chemical Function
Softener and conditioner
Flavouring and nutrient
Regulatory Lists
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
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
3-HYDROXYBENZOIC ACID
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL65369
SOURCE
EFSA / FDA GRAS
food_additives
Food Safety Data
Same-CAS food additive or FDA GRAS records from the core public database.
Food Name
3-HYDROXYBENZOIC ACID
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 3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid allowed in the EU?
3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does 3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid do in cosmetics?
3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid functions as: Antimicrobial, Skin Conditioning. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 99-06-9.
Is 3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid used outside cosmetics?
3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid 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.
Compliance Tools
Check 3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid compliance across multiple jurisdictions:
Ingredient Decoder
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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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