Is Calcium Propionate safe in cosmetics?
Calcium Propionate has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: restricted. US status: permitted.
Good
Cosmetic Ingredient
Calcium Propionate
Also known as: Calcium dipropanoate, Propanoic acid, calcium salt (2:1), Propionic acid, calcium salt, Bioban-C, Calcium propanoate (+4 more)
INCI: CALCIUM PROPIONATE
Calcium Propionate (CAS 4075-81-4) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Preservative (antimicrobial). EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: restricted. 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 4075-81-4 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Calcium Propionate is classified GHS Danger (H318) in the chemicals database but is restricted in EU cosmetics.
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu_status; Chemicals: ghs_classifications.signal_word/hazard_statement_code
Function
Preservative (antimicrobial)
Safety Rating
GOOD
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
calcium propanoate
InChIKey
BCZXFFBUYPCTSJ-UHFFFAOYSA-L
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
restricted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Not formally established for cosmetic dermal 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 Calcium Propionate.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
EPA ToxValDB — Toxicity Values
5 toxicity values from EPA ToxValDB (aggregated from CCTE, HPV, ToxRefDB, IRIS, and other regulatory dossiers).
| Endpoint | Value | Species | Route | Duration | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOEL | =4 % ae | Rat | oral | short-term | ECOTOX |
| LOEL | =25000 ppm | Rat | oral | short-term | ECOTOX |
| NOEL | =25000 ppm | Rat | oral | short-term | ECOTOX |
| LD50 | =2350 mg/kg | Mouse | oral | - | ChemIDplus |
| LD50 | =3920 mg/kg | Rat | oral | - | ChemIDplus |
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
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Regulatory (2)
JECFA Evaluation
CALCIUM PROPIONATE | 1973 | NOT LIMITED | The 1973 group ADI of "not limited" for propionic acid and its calcium, potassium and sodium salts was maintained at the forty-ninth meeting (1997). | NMRS 53/TRS 539-JECFA 17/23 | FAS 5/NMRS 53A-JECFA 17/110
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
EU Food Improvement
Food additives
Source: EU Food Improvement Agents
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Antioxidant
Biocide
Drier
Other
Preservative
Regulatory List Membership (1)
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Calcium Propionate.
Regulatory Flags
preservative
fda_food_additive
jecfa_safe
Known Synonyms
Calcium dipropanoate
Propanoic acid, calcium salt (2:1)
Propionic acid, calcium salt
Bioban-C
Calcium propanoate
Caswell No. 151
EINECS 223-795-8
EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 077701
UNII-8AI80040KW
Chemical Function
Preservative
Drier
Other
Biocide
Antioxidant
Regulatory Lists
inert_ingredient; Pesticides
inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides
active_ingredient; animal_products; Europe; pharmaceutical; residue
animal_products
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.
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL3186661
SOURCE
EFSA / FDA GRAS
food_additives + fda_gras_enriched
Food Safety Data
Same-CAS food additive or FDA GRAS records from the core public database.
Food Name
Calcium propionate
E Number
E282
ADI
NOT LIMITED mg/kg bw
FDA GRAS
FDA has no questions
GRN
786
Food Category
preservative
Intended for use as an anti-browning agent in processed fruits and vegetables
View full food safety profile →Frequently Asked Questions
Is Calcium Propionate allowed in the EU?
Calcium Propionate EU regulatory status: restricted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Calcium Propionate do in cosmetics?
Calcium Propionate functions as: Preservative (antimicrobial). It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 4075-81-4.
Is Calcium Propionate used outside cosmetics?
Calcium Propionate 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.
Does Calcium Propionate have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Calcium Propionate is classified GHS Danger (H318) in the chemicals database but is restricted in EU cosmetics.
Compliance Tools
Check Calcium Propionate 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
Dipotassium EDTA
Excellent
Same category
Chelating agent; preservative booster
Glyceryl Caprylate/Caprate
Excellent
Same category
Emulsifier; Humectant; Softener and c...
Hexanediol (1,2-Hexanediol)
Excellent
Same category
Solvent, humectant, emollient, preser...
Phenethyl Alcohol
Excellent
Same category
Fragrance ingredient; preservative (a...
Polyepsilon-Lysine
Excellent
Same category
Preservative (antimicrobial); hair co...
Sodium Lauriminodipropionate Tocopheryl Phosphate
Excellent
Same category
Antistatic, cleansing, foaming, hair ...
(AGARICUS BLAZEI FERMENT + GANODERMA LUCIDUM FERMENT + GANODERMA MULTIPILEUM FERMENT) EXTRACT
Good
Similar safety
Anti-sebum, Antioxidant, Skin Protecting
(ANGELICA ACUTILOBA/PAEONIA LACTIFLORA/REHMANNIA GLUTINOSA) ROOT/CNIDIUM OFFICINALE RHIZOME EXTRACT
Good
Similar safety
Skin Conditioning, Skin Conditioning ...
(ANGELICA ACUTILOBA/PAEONIA LACTIFLORA/REHMANNIA GLUTINOSA/SCUTELLARIA BAICALENSIS) ROOT/(CNIDIUM OFFICINALE/COPTIS CHINENSIS) RHIZOME/GARDENIA JASMINOIDES FRUIT/PHELLODENDRON CHINENSE BARK EXTRACT
Good
Similar safety
(ANGELICA GIGAS/GLYCYRRHIZA URALENSIS/REHMANNIA GLUTINOSA ROOT)/ANGELICA GIGAS STEM/CARTHAMUS TINCTORIUS FLOWER/(CARTHAMUS TINCTORIUS/PRUNUS PERSICA SEED)PORIA COCOS WATER
Good
Similar safety
Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Pr...
(ANGELICA KEISKEI/CHRYSANTHEMUM ZAWADSKII) LEAF/STEM/CINNAMOMUM CASSIA BARK/TRICHOSANTES KIRILOWII FRUIT/ULMUS DAVIDIANA BARK/ROOT/(PAEONIA JAPONICA/BUPLEURUM FALCATUM/POLYGALA TENUIFOLIA ROOT)/VISCUS ALBUM STEM EXTRACT
Good
Similar safety
Anti-seborrheic, Anti-sebum, Antioxid...
(APPLE/CITRUS JUNOS/LENTIL/PEAR/PUMPKIN/STRAWBERRY/TOMATO FRUIT)/CORN KERNEL/(ARCTIUM LAPPA/BRASSICA OLERACEA ACEPHALA/CABBAGE/CAMELLIA SINENSIS/MORINGA OLEIFERA/RADISH/SPINACH LEAF)/(SORGHUM BICOLOR LEAF/STEM)/OAT MEAL/POTATO PULP/(CARROT/NELUMBO NUCIFERA/RADISH/WILD YAM ROOT)/(AMARANTHUS HYPOCHONDRIACUS/CASHEW/CICER ARIETINUM/COIX LACRYMA-JOBI MA-YUEN /MACADAMIA TERNIFOLIA/PHASEOLUS ANGULARIS/PISTACIA VERA/RHYNCHOSIA NULUBILIS/RICE/SESAME/SETARIA ITALICA/SOYBEAN/SWEET ALMOND/WHEAT SEED)/HORDEUM VULGARE SPROUT/CYPERUS ESCULENTUS TUBER/ARTEMISIA PRINCEPS/BROCCOLI/CHENOPODIUM QUINOA/ENTEROMORPHA COMPRESSA/HORDEUM VULGARE/IPOMOEA BATATAS/LAMINARIA JAPONICA/LENTINUS EDODES/PLEUROTUS OSTREATUS/PORPHYRA TENERA/UNDARIA PINNATIFIDA EXTRACT
Good
Similar safety
Antioxidant
Androstadienone
Moderate
Chemical family
Perfuming/Fragrance (pheromone-like c...
CALCIUM ASCORBATE
Good
Browse nearby
Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning
CALCIUM BEHENATE
Good
Browse nearby
Anticaking, Opacifying, Viscosity Con...
Is Calcium Propionate 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 Calcium Propionate in your formulation.