Is Acetyl L-Carnitine safe in cosmetics?
Acetyl L-Carnitine has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
GOOD
Antioxidant
Acetyl L-Carnitine
Also known as: ALCAR, Carnitine, acetyl-, L-, Acetylcarnitine, L-, L-Acetyl carnitine, UNII-6DH1W9VH8Q (+6 more)
INCI: ACETYL L-CARNITINE
Acetyl L-Carnitine (CAS 3040-38-8) is a cosmetic antioxidant functioning as Skin-conditioning agent and antioxidant. EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: permitted. Industrial safety data is also available in the chemical safety database. Same-CAS public records also appear in pharmaceutical data.
Function
Skin-conditioning agent and antioxidant
Editorial assessment
GOOD
Preliminary editorial note — not a computed safety verdict.
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
OTC drug status; permitted 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 Acetyl L-Carnitine.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Editorial summary
Preliminary editorial summary for Acetyl L-Carnitine — not a computed safety verdict. See the sourced toxicological data above.
Known Synonyms
ALCAR
Carnitine, acetyl-, L-
Acetylcarnitine, L-
L-Acetyl carnitine
UNII-6DH1W9VH8Q
(+-)-Acetylcarnitine
3-(acetyloxy)-4-(trimethylazaniumyl)butanoate
Acetyl-carnitine
L-Carnitine acetyl ester
O-acetyl-(R)-carnitine
R-Acetylcarnitine
Regulatory Lists
Canada; pharmaceutical
Canada; pharmaceutical
Australian Status
AICIS status: listed
Cross-Vertical Safety Context
Same-CAS public records found in pharmaceutical data.
SOURCE
ChEMBL / DrugCentral / FAERS
DB_PHARMA CAS match
Pharmaceutical Data
Same-CAS rows from the pharmaceutical spoke database.
Compound
ACETYLCARNITINE
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL1697733
Max Phase
3
Adverse Event Associations
12
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Acetyl L-Carnitine allowed in the EU?
Acetyl L-Carnitine EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Acetyl L-Carnitine do in cosmetics?
Acetyl L-Carnitine functions as: Skin-conditioning agent and antioxidant. It is classified as a Antioxidant in our database. CAS number: 3040-38-8.
Is Acetyl L-Carnitine used outside cosmetics?
Acetyl L-Carnitine also appears in pharmaceutical data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.
Compliance Tools
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Substance Compliance
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MoS Calculator
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ACETALDEHYDE
MODERATE
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