Is Curcumin safe in cosmetics?
Curcumin has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: restricted. US status: permitted.
GOOD
Cosmetic Ingredient
Curcumin
Also known as: Curcumin I, (1E,6E)-1,7-bis(4-Hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione, C.I. 75300, Turmeric (dye), trans,trans-Curcumin (+15 more)
INCI: CI 75300
Curcumin (CAS 458-37-7) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Colorant, Antioxidant. EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: restricted, max Must comply with purity criteria of Directive 95/45/EC (E100); Annex IV/114. Industrial safety data is also available in the chemical safety database. Same-CAS public records also appear in pharmaceutical and food safety data.
Function
Colorant, Antioxidant
Editorial assessment
GOOD
Preliminary editorial note — not a computed safety verdict.
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
restricted
EU Max Conc.
Must comply with purity criteria of Directive 95/45/EC (E100); Annex IV/114
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Approved colorant per 21 CFR 73.600; not for eye area 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 Curcumin.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOEL | =100 mg/kg-day | Rat | oral | short-term | ECOTOX |
| NOEL | =1000 mg/kg-day | Rat | oral | acute | ECOTOX |
| NOAEL | >=250 mg/kg-day | Rat | oral | chronic | EFSA |
| ADI | <=3 mg/kg | Human | oral | - | WHO/JECFA |
| LD50 | >2000 mg/kg | Mouse | oral | - | ChemIDplus |
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.
Additional Jurisdictional Restrictions (2)
| Jurisdiction | Status | Max % | Product Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN | permitted_colorant | - | All cosmetics (Class 1) |
| ASEAN | permitted_colorant | - | All products |
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Antioxidant
Dye
Editorial summary
Preliminary editorial summary for Curcumin — not a computed safety verdict. See the sourced toxicological data above.
Regulatory Flags
natural-colorant
antioxidant
annex-iv-colorant
purity-criteria-required
Known Synonyms
Curcumin I
(1E,6E)-1,7-bis(4-Hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione
C.I. 75300
Turmeric (dye)
trans,trans-Curcumin
4-08-00-03697
BRN 2306965
EINECS 207-280-5
NCI-C61325
NSC 687842
Kurkumin
Zlut prirodni 3
1,5-Divanillyliden-2,4-pentandion
1,5-Di(vanillyliden)acetylaceton
UNII-IT942ZTH98
1,9-Bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-2,7-nonadiene-4,6-dione
C.I. Natural Yellow 3
CI Natural Yellow 3
Cucurmin
Diferaloylmethane
Chemical Function
Antioxidant
Dye
Regulatory Lists
Arts and crafts/Office supplies - body paint; detected; Europe
Arts and crafts/Office supplies - body paint; detected; Europe
Canada; pharmaceutical
Canada; pharmaceutical
Canada; pharmaceutical
general_foods
Canada; pharmaceutical
Canada; pharmaceutical
Canada; pharmaceutical
pharmaceutical
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.
Compound
CURCUMIN
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL140
Max Phase
3
Adverse Event Associations
348
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
Curcumin
E Number
E100
ADI
3 mg/kg bw
FDA GRAS
FDA has no questions; some uses may require a color additive listing
GRN
686
Food Category
colorant
Intended for use as a nutrient supplement in yogurt, nutrition bars, smoothies, and medical foods) at levels intended to provide up to 60 milligrams of curcumin per serving
View full food safety profile →Frequently Asked Questions
Is Curcumin allowed in the EU?
Curcumin EU regulatory status: restricted. Maximum allowed concentration: Must comply with purity criteria of Directive 95/45/EC (E100); Annex IV/114. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Curcumin do in cosmetics?
Curcumin functions as: Colorant, Antioxidant. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 458-37-7.
Is Curcumin used outside cosmetics?
Curcumin also appears in pharmaceutical and food safety data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.
Compliance Tools
Check Curcumin 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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