Is Chromium safe in cosmetics?
Chromium has a safety rating of "MODERATE" in our database. EU status: prohibited. US status: permitted.
Chromium
Also known as: BioChrome, BioChrome (feed additive), Chrome, Dinakrome, Sun Ti-Cr (+8 more)
INCI: CHROMIUM
Chromium (CAS 7440-47-3) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Cosmetic colorant (as oxides/hydroxides); bulking agent. 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 7440-47-3 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Chromium is prohibited in EU cosmetics but has active industrial GHS classifications (H317, H319, H334, H320, H335, H341, H371, H400).
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu_status; Chemicals: ghs_classifications.signal_word/hazard_statement_code
Function
Cosmetic colorant (as oxides/hydroxides); bulking agent
Safety Rating
MODERATE
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
chromium
InChIKey
VYZAMTAEIAYCRO-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
prohibited
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Chromium oxide greens (CI 77288) and hydrated chromium oxide greens (CI 77289) are FDA-approved color additives for cosmetics excluding eye area in some cases
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Chromium.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
GHS Hazard Classification
Globally Harmonized System classification per ECHA C&L inventory and ILO/WHO International Chemical Safety Cards.
Short-term Exposure Effects
May cause mechanical irritation to the eyes and respiratory tract.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RfD | =0.003 mg/kg-day | Human | oral | - | OW Drinking Water Standards |
| LOEL | =0.0144 mg/kg-day | Rat | oral | subchronic | ECOTOX |
| NOEL | =0.0432 mg/kg-day | Rat | oral | subchronic | ECOTOX |
| LOEL | =20 mg/L | Rat | oral | subchronic | ECOTOX |
| LOEL | =14.8 mg/kg-day | Mouse | oral | subchronic | ECOTOX |
| cancer slope factor | =46 (mg/kg-day)-1 | Human | inhalation | chronic | Health Canada |
| TDI | =0.001 mg/kg-day | Human | oral | - | Health Canada |
| LOEL | =5 mg/L | Rat | oral | chronic | ECOTOX |
| LOEL | =0.39 mg/kg-day | Rat | oral | chronic | ECOTOX |
| LOEL | =0.39 mg/kg-day | Rat | oral | chronic | ECOTOX |
IARC Carcinogenicity
International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO) monograph evaluation.
IARC Group
3
Volume
Sup 7, 49
Evaluation Year
1989
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
1,000,000 - 10,000,000 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
EU CosIng Annex Listing
European Commission CosIng database Annex references per Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009.
Annex II — Prohibited
Ref: 97
(EC) 2009/1223
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.
SA Saudi SFDA (II - Prohibited)
ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (II)
Ref: 97
BRIN Brazil/India Cosmetics
Brazil: Prohibited
India: Prohibited (GNRAS)
India: Prohibited (GNRAS)
Additional Jurisdictional Restrictions (4)
| Jurisdiction | Status | Max % | Product Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| IN | banned | - | all cosmetics |
| CA | banned | - | - |
| ASEAN | banned | - | All cosmetic products prohibited |
| KR | prohibited | - | - |
Additional Ingredient Properties
1 property record from structured ingredient metadata.
anti_aging
{"anti_aging_claim": "antioxidant-protection", "mechanism_of_action": "Cofactor for enzymatic reactions, ionic balance", "target_skin_layer": "epidermis", "collagen_stimulation": "No", "elastin_protection": "No", "wrinkle_reduction_pct": "4-8", "clinical_study_duration_weeks": "8", "sample_size": "20", "double_blind": "No", "placebo_controlled": "Yes", "published_journal": "Trace element research"…
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (5)
Carcinogen Classification
Chromium, metallic | Group 3: Not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans | Volume Sup 7: Overall Evaluations of Carcinogenicity: An Updating of IARC Monographs Volumes 1 to 42, 1987; 440 pages; ISBN 92-832-1411-0 (out of print) | Volume 49: (1990) Chromium, Nickel and Welding
Source: International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
Evidence for Carcinogenicity
A4; Not classifiable as a human carcinogen. /Chromium and Cr(III) inorganic compounds/ | Evaluation: There is inadequate evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of metallic chromium and of chromium(III) compounds. There is inadequate evidence in experimental animals for the carcinogenicity of metallic chromium, barium chromate and chromium(III) compounds. Overall evaluation: Metallic chromium a
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Endocrine Disruptors
Potential endocrine disrupting compound
Source: NORMAN Suspect List Exchange
ICSC Safety Card
0029
Source: ILO-WHO International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs)
Skin Eye Respiratory Irritation
Chromium aerosols ... caused ... irritation to the upper respiratory tract. /SRP: dusts or particulates/ | Chromium causes severe nasal irritation ... .
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Alloying element
Antioxidant
Degradant/impurity
Dye
Pigment
Regulatory List Membership (3)
California Proposition 65 (OEHHA)
EU Banned in Cosmetics
EU CosIng Cosmetics Ingredient Database
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Chromium.
Regulatory Flags
potential-allergen
colorant
endocrine_disruptor
prop65
eu_banned_cosmetics
eu_cosing_listed
Known Synonyms
BioChrome
BioChrome (feed additive)
Chrome
Dinakrome
Sun Ti-Cr
Chrom
cromo
UN 1759
EINECS 231-157-5
UNII-0R0008Q3JB
24Cr
Cr
chromium atom
Chemical Function
Dye
Regulatory Lists
Europe; supplements
detected; Europe; Personal care - make-up and related - eye liner
Arts and crafts/Office supplies - body paint; detected; Europe
detected; Europe; Other direct contact consumer goods
detected; Israel; Toys and children's products
Environmental Research
detected; drinking_water; MN Chemical Screening
detected; drinking_water; MN Chemical Screening
detected; drinking_water; MN Chemical Screening
detected; drinking_water; MN Chemical Screening
detected; drinking_water; MN Chemical Screening
detected; drinking_water; MN Chemical Screening
detected; drinking_water; MN Chemical Screening
detected; drinking_water; MN Chemical Screening
detected; drinking_water; MN Chemical Screening
detected; drinking_water; MN Chemical Screening
detected; drinking_water; MN Chemical Screening
Canada; pharmaceutical
Australian Status
AICIS status: listed
Cross-Vertical Safety Context
Same-CAS public records found in pharmaceutical data.
SOURCE
ChEMBL / DrugCentral / FAERS
DB_PHARMA count match
Pharmaceutical Data
Same-CAS rows from the pharmaceutical spoke database.
Adverse Event Associations
235
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Chromium allowed in the EU?
Chromium EU regulatory status: prohibited. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Chromium do in cosmetics?
Chromium functions as: Cosmetic colorant (as oxides/hydroxides); bulking agent. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 7440-47-3.
Is Chromium used outside cosmetics?
Chromium 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 Chromium have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Chromium is prohibited in EU cosmetics but has active industrial GHS classifications (H317, H319, H334, H320, H335, H341, H371, H400).
Compliance Tools
Check Chromium 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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