Is Chloroxylenol (PCMX) safe in cosmetics?
Chloroxylenol (PCMX) has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: restricted. US status: restricted.
Chloroxylenol (PCMX)
Also known as: 4-Chloro-3,5-xylenol, BRN 1862539, Caswell No. 218, 2-Chloro-m-xylenol, Chlorxylenolum (+14 more)
INCI: CHLOROXYLENOL
Chloroxylenol (PCMX) (CAS 88-04-0) is a cosmetic preservative functioning as Preservative. EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: restricted, max 0.5%. Industrial safety data is also available in the chemical safety database. Same-CAS public records also appear in industrial chemical safety and pharmaceutical data.
Function
Preservative
Editorial assessment
GOOD
Preliminary editorial note — not a computed safety verdict.
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
4-chloro-3,5-dimethylphenol
InChIKey
OSDLLIBGSJNGJE-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
restricted
EU Max Conc.
0.5%
US US Status
restricted
US Notes
CIR Expert Panel 2022 Re-review Summary
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Chloroxylenol (PCMX).
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Sensitization Profile
Contact sensitization data for Chloroxylenol (PCMX) based on clinical patch test studies and IFRA standards.
Sensitization Rate
low
Allergen Class
preservative
EU Allergen Listed
no
Patch Test Positive Rate
0.3%
Cross-reactivity Group
none
Reaction Type
contact-dermatitis
Source: ESSCA; IVDK; NACDG
EPA ToxValDB — Toxicity Values
10 toxicity values from EPA ToxValDB (aggregated from CCTE, HPV, ToxRefDB, IRIS, and other regulatory dossiers).
| Endpoint | Value | Species | Route | Duration | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOEL | =25 % | Mouse | dermal | short-term | ECOTOX |
| NOEL | =10 % | Mouse | dermal | short-term | ECOTOX |
| LEL | =284 mg/kg-day | Mouse | dermal | subchronic | EPA ToxRefDB |
| LEL | =213 mg/kg-day | Mouse | dermal | subchronic | EPA ToxRefDB |
| LOAEL | =284 mg/kg-day | Mouse | dermal | subchronic | EPA ToxRefDB |
| LOAEL | =213 mg/kg-day | Mouse | dermal | subchronic | EPA ToxRefDB |
| LD50 | >=2000 mg/kg | Rat | oral | - | ECHA |
| LEL | =7900 mg/m3 | Rat | inhalation | - | ECHA |
| NOEL | =1000 mg/kg-day | Rat | oral | - | ECHA |
| LEL | =300 mg/kg-day | Rat | oral | short-term (developmental) | EPA ToxRefDB |
Sensitization AOP Dashboard
Adverse Outcome Pathway data across 5 assays (DPRA, KeratinoSens, hCLAT, LLNA, NESIL) aggregated from public sources.
NESIL
3488 µg/cm²
GHS: 1B
Human: positive
Source: HPPT: [228] Marzulli FN and Maibach HI (1973): https://library.scconline.org/v024n07/
HRIPT Human Patch Test Studies
4 human repeat insult patch tests aggregated from dermatological literature.
| Test Type | N | Sensitized | Dose µg/cm² | NESIL µg/cm² | Potency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HRIPT | - | 0 | 3487.51 | - | - |
| HRIPT | - | 0 | 6975.01 | - | - |
| HRIPT | - | 0 | 22500 | - | - |
| HRIPT | - | 0 | 13950.03 | - | - |
Endocrine Disruptor Evidence (Expanded)
Cross-referenced EDC classifications, mechanism data, and dose-response evidence from EDLists, SIN List, and cosmetic-specific detail sources.
Cosmetic-Specific Mechanism
Category: preservative
Receptor targets: ERα, TR
LOEC: 1 µM
EU status: allowed (max 0.5%)
weak agonist/antagonist
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
Hazard classification: Restricted (Annex XVII)
Expanded Jurisdictional Detail
Additional regulatory detail beyond the 7-jurisdiction summary: Saudi SFDA, Korea MFDS, ASEAN ACD, Japan/Korea, Brazil/India, and cross-jurisdictional restriction entries.
KR Korea MFDS Annex 2 (Restricted)
Category: Preservative. Max: 0.5%. —
JPKR Japan/Korea Cosmetics
Japan (Positive (Preservative)): max 0.20
Japan (Restricted): max Wash-away: 0.30% | Leave-on: 0.20% | Mucosa: 0.20%
Additional Jurisdictional Restrictions (5)
| Jurisdiction | Status | Max % | Product Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP | restricted | Wash-away: 0.30% | Leave-on: 0.20% | Mucosa: 0.20% | Wash-away: 0.30% | Leave-on: 0.20% | Mucosa: 0.20% |
| CN | permitted_preservative | 0.5 | All cosmetics |
| IN | permitted_preservative | 0.5 | all cosmetics |
| BR | permitted_preservative | 0.5 | - |
| ASEAN | permitted_preservative | 0.5% | All products |
Expanded Dermal Absorption Data
Cross-database dermal penetration: EPA Dryad physics-based, Roberts Mendeley permeation, and SCCS-aggregated measured values.
Roberts Skin Permeation (Mendeley 2022)
MW: 156.6
Log Kow: 3.35
Log Kp: -1.2287536009528295
Log Jmax: -6.95
Source: Roberts Cheruvu Mendeley 2022
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (1)
Skin Eye Respiratory Irritation
Chloroxylenol /is listed as one of/ common contact allergens /in/ antiseptics. /from Table/
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Biocide
Fragrance
Preservative
Regulatory List Membership (4)
EU Regulated in Personal Care
IFRA Fragrance Transparency List
FDA Indirect Food Contact Additives
EU CosIng Cosmetics Ingredient Database
Editorial summary
Preliminary editorial summary for Chloroxylenol (PCMX) — not a computed safety verdict. See the sourced toxicological data above.
Regulatory Flags
EU Restricted
ifra_fragrance
eu_cosing_listed
Known Synonyms
4-Chloro-3,5-xylenol
BRN 1862539
Caswell No. 218
2-Chloro-m-xylenol
Chlorxylenolum
Dettol, liquid antiseptic
EINECS 201-793-8
EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 086801
Husept Extra
Nipacide MX
Ottasept Extra
Septiderm-Hydrochloride
Willenol V
Chloroxylenolum
Clorossilenolo
UNII-0F32U78V2Q
Vionexus
4-chloro-1-hydroxy-3,5-dimethylbenzene
4-chloro-m-xylenol
Chemical Function
Biocide
Preservative
Fragrance
Regulatory Lists
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
pharmaceutical
CEDI
Indirect additives food contact (10/2018)
active_ingredient; Europe; Pesticides
Europe; Personal care
inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides
IFRA Transparency
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
CHLOROXYLENOL
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL398440
Max Phase
2
Adverse Event Associations
268
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Chloroxylenol (PCMX) allowed in the EU?
Chloroxylenol (PCMX) EU regulatory status: restricted. Maximum allowed concentration: 0.5%. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Chloroxylenol (PCMX) do in cosmetics?
Chloroxylenol (PCMX) functions as: Preservative. It is classified as a Preservative in our database. CAS number: 88-04-0.
Is Chloroxylenol (PCMX) used outside cosmetics?
Chloroxylenol (PCMX) 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.
Compliance Tools
Check Chloroxylenol (PCMX) compliance across multiple jurisdictions:
Ingredient Decoder
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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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