EXCELLENT Cosmetic Ingredient Dermal Penetration

Arginine

Also known as: Arginine, L-, 4-04-00-02648, (S)-2-Amino-5-((aminoiminomethyl)amino)pentanoic acid, 1-Amino-4-guanidovaleric acid, (L)-Arginine (+14 more)

INCI: ARGININE

Arginine (CAS 74-79-3) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Amino acid / pH Adjuster. 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.

View industrial chemical safety profile for CAS 74-79-3 →

CAS Number

74-79-3

View industrial chemical safety profile →

Function

Amino acid / pH Adjuster

Editorial assessment

EXCELLENT

Preliminary editorial note — not a computed safety verdict.

Chemistry & Identifiers

EC Number

200-811-1

ChEBI: CHEBI:16467 UNII: 94ZLA3W45F Wikidata: Q173670

Regulatory Status

EU EU Status permitted

US US Status permitted

US Notes GRAS as direct food additive under 21 CFR 172.320. No specific FDA restrictions on cosmetic use. 505 reported formulations in VCRP — highest among all alpha-amino acids at time of CIR review.

For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.

Safety Data

Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Arginine.

Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.

Dermal Penetration Profile

Skin absorption and penetration characteristics of Arginine, relevant to systemic exposure and MoS calculations.

Absorption %

2-5%

Penetration Level

surface

Penetration Depth

stratum corneum

Molecular Weight

174.2 Da

Log P

-4.2

Systemic Absorption

minimal

Topical Bioavailability

1-3%

Safety Margin Factor

low

Vehicle Dependent

Yes — absorption varies by formulation

Source: J Cosmet Sci 2017

EPA ToxValDB — Toxicity Values

1 toxicity value from EPA ToxValDB (aggregated from CCTE, HPV, ToxRefDB, IRIS, and other regulatory dossiers).

Endpoint	Value	Species	Route	Duration	Source
NOAEL	=3.131 mg/kg-day	Rat	oral	subchronic	EFSA

ECHA REACH Registration

European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.

Registration Type

Full

Tonnage Band

1,000 - 10,000 tonnes

Substance Type

SUBSTANCE

SVHC Candidate

Typical Use Concentrations

Reported concentration ranges per product category from SCCS/CIR/industry sources.

Product Category	Typical Range	Max Reported	Source
Face Cream	0.1–1	2	CIR Safety Assessment

Function Categories & List Membership

Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories

Anti-static agent Deodorizer Flavouring and nutrient Softener and conditioner

Regulatory List Membership (3)

EU Regulated in Personal Care EU Restricted for Children (Cosmetics) FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)

Editorial summary

Preliminary editorial summary for Arginine — not a computed safety verdict. See the sourced toxicological data above.

Regulatory Flags

eu-unrestricted cir-approved gras-fda non-sensitizing humectant eu_children_restricted fda_food_additive

NOAEL Studies Summary

View details ->

Public NOAEL study rows linked to Arginine by CAS number or substance name.

Studies

Lowest NOAEL

3131 mg/kg bw/day

Highest NOAEL

3879 mg/kg bw/day

ECHA

Known Synonyms

Arginine, L- 4-04-00-02648 (S)-2-Amino-5-((aminoiminomethyl)amino)pentanoic acid 1-Amino-4-guanidovaleric acid (L)-Arginine BRN 1725413 EINECS 200-811-1 L-Norvaline, 5-((aminoiminomethyl)amino)- Pentanoic acid, 2-amino-5-((aminoiminomethyl)amino)-, (S)- Argininum UNII-94ZLA3W45F (2S)-2-amino-5-(carbamimidamido)pentanoic acid (2S)-2-amino-5-(diaminomethylideneamino)pentanoic acid (2S)-2-amino-5-[(diaminomethylidene)amino]pentanoic acid (2S)-2-amino-5-guanidino-pentanoic acid (2S)-2-amino-5-guanidinopentanoic acid (S)-2-Amino-5-[(aminoiminomethyl)amino]pentanoate (S)-2-amino-5-[(aminoiminomethyl)amino]-Pentanoate (S)-2-amino-5-[(aminoiminomethyl)amino]-Pentanoic acid

Chemical Function

Anti-static agent Deodorizer Softener and conditioner Flavouring and nutrient

Regulatory Lists

pharmaceutical children; Europe; Personal care children; Europe; Personal care - general moisturizing - hand/body lotion Europe; Personal care Europe; Personal care Canada; pharmaceutical Europe food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)

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

ARGININE

ChEMBL ID

CHEMBL1485

Max Phase

Adverse Event Associations

184

View full pharmaceutical profile →

SOURCE EFSA / FDA GRAS fda_gras_enriched

Food Safety Data

Same-CAS food additive or FDA GRAS records from the core public database.

Food Name

L-arginine

FDA GRAS

FDA has no questions

GRN

290

As an ingredient in a brine solution to be injected into beef subprimals, or mixed with ground beef to make beef patties. The brine solution contains levels of L-arginine between 0.2 - 0.6 percent

View full food safety profile →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Arginine safe in cosmetics?

Arginine has a safety rating of "EXCELLENT" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.

Is Arginine allowed in the EU?

Arginine EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.

What does Arginine do in cosmetics?

Arginine functions as: Amino acid / pH Adjuster. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 74-79-3.

Is Arginine used outside cosmetics?

Arginine 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

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Substance Compliance

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MoS Calculator

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