Is Benzimidazole safe in cosmetics?
Benzimidazole has a safety rating of "MODERATE" in our database. EU status: prohibited. US status: permitted.
Moderate
Cosmetic Ingredient
Benzimidazole
Also known as: 5-23-06-00196, BRN 0109682, EINECS 200-081-4, UNII-E24GX49LD8, BZI
INCI: BENZIMIDAZOLE
Benzimidazole (CAS 51-17-2) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Skin conditioning agent. NOAEL 176 mg/kg bw/day (cross-referenced against ToxValDB ECHA IUCLID); EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: prohibited. Industrial safety data is also available in the chemical safety database. Same-CAS public records also appear in industrial chemical safety and pharmaceutical data.
View industrial chemical safety profile for CAS 51-17-2 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Benzimidazole is prohibited in EU cosmetics but has active industrial GHS classifications (H302).
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu_status; Chemicals: ghs_classifications.signal_word/hazard_statement_code
Function
Skin conditioning agent
Safety Rating
MODERATE
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
prohibited
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Permitted for cosmetic use under general safety provisions; not CIR-reviewed as standalone ingredient
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Benzimidazole.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Pre-Calculated Safety Assessment
Pre-calculated NOAEL → SED → MoS audit trail for Benzimidazole across SCCS product categories, with measured dermal absorption where available.
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
10 - 100 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Dye
No specific technical function
Pigment
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Benzimidazole.
NOAEL Studies Summary
View details ->Public NOAEL study rows linked to Benzimidazole by CAS number or substance name.
Studies
15
Lowest NOAEL
53 mg/kg bw/day
Highest NOAEL
1000 mg/kg bw/day
ECHA_REACH_reach_study_results_dossiers_23-05-2023.zip
Known Synonyms
5-23-06-00196
BRN 0109682
EINECS 200-081-4
UNII-E24GX49LD8
BZI
Chemical Function
Pigment
Dye
No specific technical function
Regulatory Lists
Canada; pharmaceutical
Canada; pharmaceutical
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
BENZIMIDAZOLE
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL306226
Max Phase
-1
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Benzimidazole allowed in the EU?
Benzimidazole EU regulatory status: prohibited. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Benzimidazole do in cosmetics?
Benzimidazole functions as: Skin conditioning agent. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 51-17-2.
Is Benzimidazole used outside cosmetics?
Benzimidazole also appears in industrial chemical safety and pharmaceutical data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.
Does Benzimidazole have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Benzimidazole is prohibited in EU cosmetics but has active industrial GHS classifications (H302).
Compliance Tools
Check Benzimidazole 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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