Is Dimethyl Oxalate safe in cosmetics?
Dimethyl Oxalate has a safety rating of "POOR" in our database. EU status: prohibited. US status: restricted.
Poor
Cosmetic Ingredient
Dimethyl Oxalate
Also known as: EINECS 209-053-6, Oxalic acid dimethyl ester, UNII-IQ3Q79344S
INCI: DIMETHYL OXALATE
Dimethyl Oxalate (CAS 553-90-2) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Solvent / fragrance intermediate. 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 data.
View industrial chemical safety profile for CAS 553-90-2 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Dimethyl Oxalate is prohibited in EU cosmetics but has active industrial GHS classifications (H302, H314, H315, H318, H319, H373).
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu_status; Chemicals: ghs_classifications.signal_word/hazard_statement_code
Function
Solvent / fragrance intermediate
Safety Rating
POOR
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
dimethyl oxalate
InChIKey
LOMVENUNSWAXEN-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
prohibited
US US Status
restricted
US Notes
Not specifically regulated for cosmetics; not FDA-listed for cosmetic 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 Dimethyl Oxalate.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Intermediate
Tonnage Band
Intermediate use only
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Chelating agent
Plasticizer
Solvent
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Dimethyl Oxalate.
Regulatory Flags
fragrance-component
Known Synonyms
EINECS 209-053-6
Oxalic acid dimethyl ester
UNII-IQ3Q79344S
Chemical Function
Solvent
Plasticizer
Chelating agent
Australian Status
AICIS status: listed
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dimethyl Oxalate allowed in the EU?
Dimethyl Oxalate EU regulatory status: prohibited. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Dimethyl Oxalate do in cosmetics?
Dimethyl Oxalate functions as: Solvent / fragrance intermediate. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 553-90-2.
Is Dimethyl Oxalate used outside cosmetics?
Dimethyl Oxalate also appears in industrial chemical safety data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.
Does Dimethyl Oxalate have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Dimethyl Oxalate is prohibited in EU cosmetics but has active industrial GHS classifications (H302, H314, H315, H318, H319, H373).
Compliance Tools
Check Dimethyl Oxalate 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
Related Ingredients
2,6-Dimethyl-7-octen-2-ol (Dihydromyrcenol)
Excellent
Same category
Fragrance (perfuming), masking
2-Ethoxy-2,6,6-Trimethyl-9-Methylenebicyclo[3.3.1]Nonane (Boisiris™)
Excellent
Same category
Fragrance (rich woody, orris/iris roo...
3,6-Dimethyl-3-Octyl Acetate
Excellent
Same category
Fragrance / Perfuming agent with flor...
3-Methyl-5-(2,2,3-Trimethyl-3-Cyclopentenyl)Pent-4-En-2-Ol (Sandalore)
Excellent
Same category
Perfuming / Fragrance (sandalwood note)
4-Tert-Butylcyclohexyl Acetate
Excellent
Same category
Fragrance
Acetoin
Excellent
Same category
Skin conditioning, fragrance
1,2,4-Benzenetriacetate
Poor
Similar safety
Hair dye precursor (triacetyl ester o...
1,2,4-Trihydroxybenzene
Poor
Similar safety
Hair colorant (auto-oxidative dye)
1,3-Bis-(Isocyanatomethyl) Cyclohexane
Poor
Similar safety
Monomer / cross-linking agent used in...
1,4-Butanediol
Poor
Similar safety
Solvent, humectant, viscosity control...
1,6-Hexamethylene Diisocyanate (HDI)
Poor
Similar safety
Monomer and crosslinker in polymer sy...
1,6-Hexanediamine
Poor
Similar safety
Industrial chemical (nylon monomer); ...
Dilithium Oxalate
Poor
Chemical family
Anticorrosive, chelating agent
Isopropyl Nicotinate
Moderate
Chemical family
Skin conditioning agent (vasodilator ...
Magnesium Benzoate
Moderate
Chemical family
Preservative
Is Dimethyl Oxalate in Your Products?
Scan any product label with Piro — our free ingredient scanner. Point your camera at the ingredients list and get instant safety scores for every ingredient.
Try Piro Free →Analyze Your Full Ingredient List
Paste any INCI list into the Decoder for instant safety analysis, or calculate the Margin of Safety for Dimethyl Oxalate in your formulation.