Also known as: Urea, N-[1,3-bis(hydroxymethyl)-2,5-dioxo-4-imidazolidinyl]-N,N'-bis(hydroxymethyl)-, Diazolidinylurea, N-(1,3-Bis(hydroxymethyl)-2,5-dioxo-4-imidazolidinyl)-N,N'-bis(hydroxymethyl)urea, EINECS 278-928-2, N-(Hydroxymethyl)-N-(1,3-dihydroxymethyl-2,5-dioxo-4-imidazolidinyl)-N'-(hydroxymethyl)urea (+2 more)
INCI: DIAZOLIDINYL UREA
Diazolidinyl Urea (CAS 78491-02-8) is a cosmetic preservative functioning as Preservative. Reported NOAEL =100 mg/kg bw/day in Rat (ECHA); EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: restricted, max 0.5% (face leave-on); 0.6% (rinse-off); 1 safety opinion reviewed (CIR Safety Assessment). Industrial safety data is also available in the chemical safety database. Same-CAS public records also appear in industrial chemical safety and pharmaceutical data.
EU Max Conc.0.5% (face leave-on); 0.6% (rinse-off)
US US Statusrestricted
US NotesWashington State: banned effective January 1, 2027 (Aug 2025 rule, WAC 246-930). No federal cosmetic concentration limit. CIR Expert Panel: safe up to 0.5% in cosmetics. Multiple states moving toward restricting formaldehyde releasers.
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the
Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Diazolidinyl Urea.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the
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Toxicological Studies
3 study endpoints found for Diazolidinyl Urea. NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect Level) values are used to calculate the Margin of Safety per SCCS methodology.
Endpoint
Value
Route
Species
Study Type
Source
NOAEL
=100 mg/kg bw/day
oral
Rat
subchronic
ECHA
NOAEL
=300 mg/kg bw/day
dermal
Rat
developmental
ECHA
NOAEL
=500 mg/kg bw/day
oral
Rat
developmental
ECHA
Safety Opinions
Official safety assessments from the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) and Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR).
CIR Safety Assessment
Verdict: safe
Urea along with the comments that were received. The Panel concluded that this ingredient could be safely used in cosmetic products at the minimum effective concentration. The effective use and safety test data indicate that the potential of this ingredient to produce adverse reactions should be min
Sensitization Profile
Contact sensitization data for Diazolidinyl Urea based on clinical patch test studies and IFRA standards.
Sensitization Rate
moderate
Allergen Class
preservative
EU Allergen Listed
no
Patch Test Positive Rate
1.5%
Cross-reactivity Group
formaldehyde-releaser-group
Reaction Type
contact-dermatitis
Source: FDA
Dermal Penetration Profile
Skin absorption and penetration characteristics of Diazolidinyl Urea, relevant to systemic exposure and MoS calculations.
Absorption %
1-4%
Penetration Level
surface
Penetration Depth
stratum corneum
Molecular Weight
278.2 Da
Log P
-2.8
Systemic Absorption
minimal
Topical Bioavailability
0.5-2%
Safety Margin Factor
low
Vehicle Dependent
Yes — absorption varies by formulation
Source: CIR Expert Panel
Endocrine Disruptor Evidence (Expanded)
Cross-referenced EDC classifications, mechanism data, and dose-response evidence from EDLists, SIN List, and cosmetic-specific detail sources.
Dose-Response Data Points
Endpoint
Target
Value
Direction
ERα transcriptional activation (indirect via max HCHO release)
ERα (indirect via HCHO)
EC50/IC50: LOEC ~25 µM (estimated, highest HCHO releaser); LOEC: ~25 µM (estimated); NOEC: not established mixed
weak agonist
Thyroid peroxidase inhibition (indirect)
TPO (indirect via HCHO metabolite)
EC50/IC50: No direct IC50; activity scales with HCHO release (highest among tested FRPs); LOEC: not established; NOEC: not established mixed
inhibitor (indirect; highest HCHO release among FRPs)
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
100 - 1,000 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
EU CosIng Annex Listing
European Commission CosIng database Annex references per Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009.
Annex V — Permitted Preservatives
Max: 0.5%
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%. —
SA Saudi SFDA (V - Preservatives)
Max: 0.005.
JPKR Japan/Korea Cosmetics
Japan (Restricted): max Wash-away: 0.30% | Leave-on: Prohibited | Mucosa: Prohibited
BRIN Brazil/India Cosmetics
Brazil: Permitted Preservative · max 0,5%
India: Permitted Preservative · max 0.005
Additional Jurisdictional Restrictions (5)
Jurisdiction
Status
Max %
Product Type
CN
permitted_preservative
0.5
All cosmetics
IN
permitted_preservative
0.5
all cosmetics
AU
restricted
0.6
preservatives
BR
permitted_preservative
0.5
-
ASEAN
permitted_preservative
0.5%
All products
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Preservative
Regulatory List Membership (3)
EU Regulated in Personal CareEU Restricted for Children (Cosmetics)EU CosIng Cosmetics Ingredient Database
Editorial summary
Preliminary editorial summary for Diazolidinyl Urea — not a computed safety verdict. See the sourced toxicological data above.
active_ingredient; Europe; Pesticidesinert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticideschildren; Europe; Personal carechildren; Europe; Personal care - body hygiene - body washchildren; Europe; Personal carechildren; Europe; Personal careEurope; Personal care - hair styling and care - shampoo-dandruffEurope; Personal care - hair styling and care - shampoo-dandruffPersonal care - general moisturizingCanada; pharmaceuticalCanada; pharmaceuticalEurope; Personal care
Australian Status
AICIS status:listed
Cross-Vertical Safety Context
Same-CAS public records found in pharmaceutical data.
SOURCEChEMBL / DrugCentral / FAERSDB_PHARMA CAS match
Pharmaceutical Data
Same-CAS rows from the pharmaceutical spoke database.
Diazolidinyl Urea has a safety rating of "MODERATE" in our database. EU status: restricted. US status: restricted. 3 toxicological study endpoint(s) are available in our database. This ingredient has been reviewed by CIR Safety Assessment.
Is Diazolidinyl Urea allowed in the EU?
Diazolidinyl Urea EU regulatory status: restricted. Maximum allowed concentration: 0.5% (face leave-on); 0.6% (rinse-off). This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Diazolidinyl Urea do in cosmetics?
Diazolidinyl Urea functions as: Preservative. It is classified as a Preservative in our database. CAS number: 78491-02-8.
What is the NOAEL for Diazolidinyl Urea?
The NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect Level) for Diazolidinyl Urea is =100 mg/kg bw/day based on a subchronic study via oral route in Rat. A total of 3 study endpoints are available. Source: ECHA.
Is Diazolidinyl Urea used outside cosmetics?
Diazolidinyl Urea 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
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