Is Clotrimazole safe in cosmetics?
Clotrimazole has a safety rating of "POOR" in our database. EU status: restricted. US status: permitted.
Poor
Cosmetic Ingredient
Clotrimazole
Also known as: 1H-Imidazole, 1-[(2-chlorophenyl)diphenylmethyl]-, 1-((2-Chlorophenyl)diphenylmethyl)-1H-imidazole (9CI), 1H-Imidazole, 1-((2-chlorophenyl)diphenylmethyl)-, Imidazole, 1-(o-chloro-alpha,alpha-diphenylbenzyl)-, 5-23-04-00291 (+15 more)
INCI: CLOTRIMAZOLE
Clotrimazole (CAS 23593-75-1) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Antifungal agent (pharmaceutical active ingredient — azole class). 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.
View industrial chemical safety profile for CAS 23593-75-1 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Clotrimazole is classified GHS Danger (H302, H311, H315, H319, H361, H373, H400, H410) in the chemicals database but is restricted in EU cosmetics at max 0.5%.
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu_status/eu_max; Chemicals: ghs_classifications.signal_word/hazard_statement_code
Function
Antifungal agent (pharmaceutical active ingredient — azole class)
Safety Rating
POOR
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
1-[(2-chlorophenyl)-diphenylmethyl]imidazole
InChIKey
VNFPBHJOKIVQEB-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
restricted
EU Max Conc.
0.5%
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
OTC/Rx Antifungal Drug — Regulated as an active pharmaceutical ingredient. FDA-approved for topical antifungal treatment. Use in cosmetics would classify the product as a drug requiring NDA/ANDA
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Clotrimazole.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (2)
Carcinogen Classification
No indication of carcinogenicity to humans (not listed by IARC).
Source: Toxin and Toxin Target Database (T3DB)
Skin Eye Respiratory Irritation
Adverse effects after topical use of clotrimazole include stinging.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Anti-dandruff
Biocide
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Clotrimazole.
Regulatory Flags
endocrine_disruptor
Known Synonyms
1H-Imidazole, 1-[(2-chlorophenyl)diphenylmethyl]-
1-((2-Chlorophenyl)diphenylmethyl)-1H-imidazole (9CI)
1H-Imidazole, 1-((2-chlorophenyl)diphenylmethyl)-
Imidazole, 1-(o-chloro-alpha,alpha-diphenylbenzyl)-
5-23-04-00291
Bis-phenyl-(2-chlorophenyl)(1-imidazoyl)methane
BRN 0622318
Canestene
(2-Chlorophenyl)diphenyl-1-imidazolylmethane
1-((o-Chloro-phenyl)diphenylmethyl)imidazole
1-((2-Chlorophenyl)diphenylmethyl)-1H-imidazole
(Chlorotrityl)imidazole
Chlotrimazole
Diphenyl-(2-chlorophenyl)-1-imidazolylmethane
EINECS 245-764-8
Gyne lotrimin
Methane, bis-phenyl-(2-chlorophenyl)-1-imidazolyl-
Mykosporin
Mycelex Troches
Cutistad
Chemical Function
Biocide
Anti-dandruff
Regulatory Lists
active_ingredient; Australia
pharmaceutical
pharmaceutical
pharmaceutical
pharmaceutical
detected; Europe; surface_water; wastewater
Canada; pharmaceutical
Canada; consumer_product; Substances in Products - Canada (4/2014)
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
CLOTRIMAZOLE
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL104
Max Phase
4
Adverse Event Associations
1959
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Clotrimazole allowed in the EU?
Clotrimazole EU regulatory status: restricted. Maximum allowed concentration: 0.5%. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Clotrimazole do in cosmetics?
Clotrimazole functions as: Antifungal agent (pharmaceutical active ingredient — azole class). It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 23593-75-1.
Is Clotrimazole used outside cosmetics?
Clotrimazole 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 Clotrimazole have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Clotrimazole is classified GHS Danger (H302, H311, H315, H319, H361, H373, H400, H410) in the chemicals database but is restricted in EU cosmetics at max 0.5%.
Compliance Tools
Check Clotrimazole 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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