Is Cetalkonium Chloride safe in cosmetics?
Cetalkonium Chloride has a safety rating of "MODERATE" in our database. EU status: restricted. US status: permitted.
MODERATE
Cosmetic Ingredient
Cetalkonium Chloride
Also known as: Benzyl hexadecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, Acinol, CDBAC, Dimethylhexadecylbenzyl ammonium chloride, EINECS 204-526-3 (+5 more)
INCI: CETALKONIUM CHLORIDE
Cetalkonium Chloride (CAS 122-18-9) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Antimicrobial, Antistatic, Preservative. EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: restricted, max 0.1%. Industrial safety data is also available in the chemical safety database. Same-CAS public records also appear in industrial chemical safety and pharmaceutical data.
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Cetalkonium Chloride is classified GHS Danger (H302, H312, H314, H318, H400, H410, H372, H401) in the chemicals database but is restricted in EU cosmetics at max 0.1%.
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu status/eu max; Chemicals: ghs classifications.signal word/hazard statement code
Function
Antimicrobial, Antistatic, Preservative
Editorial assessment
MODERATE
Preliminary editorial note — not a computed safety verdict.
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
benzyl-hexadecyl-dimethylazanium chloride
InChIKey
SXPWTBGAZSPLHA-UHFFFAOYSA-M
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
restricted
EU Max Conc.
0.1%
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Listed as antimicrobial/preservative; quaternary ammonium compound
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Cetalkonium Chloride.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
1 - 10 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Anti-static agent
Biocide
Preservative
Surfactant (surface active agent)
Editorial summary
Preliminary editorial summary for Cetalkonium Chloride — not a computed safety verdict. See the sourced toxicological data above.
Regulatory Flags
potential-allergen
preservative
NOAEL Studies Summary
View details ->Public NOAEL study rows linked to Cetalkonium Chloride by CAS number or substance name.
Studies
6
Lowest NOAEL
50 mg/kg bw/day
Highest NOAEL
100 mg/kg bw/day
ECHA
Known Synonyms
Benzyl hexadecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride
Acinol
CDBAC
Dimethylhexadecylbenzyl ammonium chloride
EINECS 204-526-3
NSC 32942
Rodalon
Cetalconio cloruro
Cetalkonii chloridum
UNII-85474O1N9D
Chemical Function
Surfactant (surface active agent)
Biocide
Preservative
Anti-static agent
Regulatory Lists
pharmaceutical
active_ingredient; Europe; Pesticides
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
CETALKONIUM CHLORIDE
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL1644450
Max Phase
2
Adverse Event Associations
28
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cetalkonium Chloride allowed in the EU?
Cetalkonium Chloride EU regulatory status: restricted. Maximum allowed concentration: 0.1%. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Cetalkonium Chloride do in cosmetics?
Cetalkonium Chloride functions as: Antimicrobial, Antistatic, Preservative. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 122-18-9.
Is Cetalkonium Chloride used outside cosmetics?
Cetalkonium Chloride 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 Cetalkonium Chloride have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Cetalkonium Chloride is classified GHS Danger (H302, H312, H314, H318, H400, H410, H372, H401) in the chemicals database but is restricted in EU cosmetics at max 0.1%.
Compliance Tools
Check Cetalkonium Chloride 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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