Is Butyl Stearate safe in cosmetics?
Butyl Stearate has a safety rating of "EXCELLENT" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
Excellent
Cosmetic Ingredient
Butyl Stearate
Also known as: Octadecanoic acid, butyl ester, BRN 1792866, Butyl octadecylate, EINECS 204-666-5, Estrex 1B 54, 1B 55 (+7 more)
INCI: BUTYL STEARATE
Butyl Stearate (CAS 123-95-5) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Emollient; skin conditioning agent. 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 data.
View industrial chemical safety profile for CAS 123-95-5 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Function
Emollient; skin conditioning agent
Safety Rating
EXCELLENT
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
butyl octadecanoate
InChIKey
ULBTUVJTXULMLP-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Adequate — supported by CIR review with established NOAEL
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Butyl Stearate.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Additional Ingredient Properties
3 property records from structured ingredient metadata.
comedogenicity_detail
{"comedogenicity_rating": "3", "irritancy_rating": "1", "skin_type_suitability": "dry,combination", "acne_safe": "caution", "source": "Fulton 1989"}
emulsion_hlb
{"hlb_required_as_emulsifier": "no", "hlb_required_of_oil_phase": "10-11", "co_emulsifier_pairs": "polysorbate_60,steareth_20", "optimal_oil_phase_pct": "10-30", "optimal_water_phase_pct": "70-90", "droplet_size_range_um": "1-20", "creaming_resistance": "good", "coalescence_resistance": "good", "ostwald_ripening_resistance": "moderate", "freeze_thaw_stability": "moderate", "rheology_modifier_type"…
sensory
{"silky": "medium", "smooth, glides easily": "smooth, emollient", "dry-touch, non-greasy": "soft, smooth", "instant": "moderate", "low": "medium", "w/o": "o/w", "very-high": "high", "no": "no", "yes": "no", "light-diffusing": "luminous", "1.40": "1.44", "transparent": "transparent", "colorless": "colorless", "excellent": "good", "light": "medium", "synthetic": "synthetic"}
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (2)
Evidence for Carcinogenicity
A4; Not classifiable as a human carcinogen. /Stearates; does not include stearates of toxic metals/
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Skin Eye Respiratory Irritation
A skin irritant.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Regulatory (2)
JECFA Number
184
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
JECFA Evaluation
BUTYL STEARATE | 1997 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 884-JECFA 49/52 | FAS 40-JECFA 49/297
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Deodorizer
Flavouring and nutrient
Fragrance
Heat stabilizer
Lubricating agent
Plasticizer
Processing aids not otherwise specified
Softener and conditioner
Regulatory List Membership (3)
IFRA Fragrance Transparency List
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Consumer Product Chemical
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Butyl Stearate.
Regulatory Flags
ifra_fragrance
fda_food_additive
jecfa_safe
Known Synonyms
Octadecanoic acid, butyl ester
BRN 1792866
Butyl octadecylate
EINECS 204-666-5
Estrex 1B 54, 1B 55
FEMA No. 2214
FEMA Number 2214
RC plasticizer B-17
Starfol BS-100
Uniflex BYS
Wilmar butyl stearate
UNII-6Y0AI5605C
Chemical Function
Softener and conditioner
Deodorizer
Fragrance
Flavouring and nutrient
Plasticizer
Regulatory Lists
Europe
inert_ingredient; Pesticides
inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides
inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides
IFRA Transparency
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
consumer_product
inert_ingredient; Pesticides
inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides
Europe
inert_ingredient; Pesticides
inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides
inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides
IFRA Transparency
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
consumer_product
Australian Status
AICIS status: listed
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Butyl Stearate allowed in the EU?
Butyl Stearate EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Butyl Stearate do in cosmetics?
Butyl Stearate functions as: Emollient; skin conditioning agent. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 123-95-5.
Is Butyl Stearate used outside cosmetics?
Butyl Stearate also appears in industrial chemical safety data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.
Compliance Tools
Check Butyl Stearate 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
Related Ingredients
Acacia Decurrens/Jojoba/Sunflower Seed Wax Polyglyceryl-3 Esters
Excellent
Same category
Skin conditioning emollient, texturizer
Acetic/Linoleic/Palmitic Triglyceride
Excellent
Same category
Skin conditioning (emollient)
Acetyl Ornithine
Excellent
Same category
Emollient
Acetyl Proline
Excellent
Same category
Emollient
Acetyl Triethylhexyl Citrate
Excellent
Same category
Emollient, Film Forming, Plasticiser
Acetyl Trihexyl Citrate
Excellent
Same category
Plasticiser, Skin Conditioning (Emoll...
1-Methylhydantoin-2-imide (Creatinine)
Excellent
Similar safety
Skin conditioning (skin brightening/l...
2,6-Dimethyl-7-octen-2-ol (Dihydromyrcenol)
Excellent
Similar safety
Fragrance (perfuming), masking
2-Ethoxy-2,6,6-Trimethyl-9-Methylenebicyclo[3.3.1]Nonane (Boisiris™)
Excellent
Similar safety
Fragrance (rich woody, orris/iris roo...
2-Hydroxypropylcarbamato Amodimethicone
Excellent
Similar safety
Hair conditioning; modified aminosili...
2-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Excellent
Similar safety
Softener and conditioner
3 O Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Excellent
Similar safety
Antioxidant; tyrosinase inhibitor; me...
2,5-DIMETHYLPYRAZINE
Good
Chemical family
Perfuming
2-Ethylhexylal
Good
Chemical family
Solvent
2-Octanol
Good
Chemical family
Fragrance ingredient, solvent
Is Butyl Stearate in Your Products?
Scan any product label with Piro — our free ingredient scanner. Point your camera at the ingredients list and get instant safety scores for every ingredient.
Try Piro Free →Analyze Your Full Ingredient List
Paste any INCI list into the Decoder for instant safety analysis, or calculate the Margin of Safety for Butyl Stearate in your formulation.