Is Ethyl 3-Hydroxybutyrate safe in cosmetics?
Ethyl 3-Hydroxybutyrate has a safety rating of "EXCELLENT" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
Excellent
Cosmetic Ingredient
Ethyl 3-Hydroxybutyrate
Also known as: Butyric acid, 3-hydroxy-, ethyl ester, Ethyl beta-hydroxybutyrate, Butanoic acid, 3-hydroxy-, ethyl ester, Ethyl (1)-3-hydroxybutyrate, EINECS 226-456-2 (+5 more)
INCI: ETHYL 3-HYDROXYBUTYRATE
Ethyl 3-Hydroxybutyrate (CAS 5405-41-4) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Fragrance (perfuming agent); also flavoring (FEMA GRAS). EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: permitted. 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 5405-41-4 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Function
Fragrance (perfuming agent); also flavoring (FEMA GRAS)
Safety Rating
EXCELLENT
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
ethyl 3-hydroxybutanoate
InChIKey
OMSUIQOIVADKIM-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Permitted — FEMA GRAS; no specific CFR restriction 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 Ethyl 3-Hydroxybutyrate.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Regulatory (2)
JECFA Number
594
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
JECFA Evaluation
ETHYL 3-HYDROXYBUTYRATE | 1999 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 896-JECFA 53/67 | FAS 44-JECFA 53/229
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Flavouring and nutrient
Fragrance
Solvent
Regulatory List Membership (4)
IFRA Fragrance Transparency List
EPA Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL)
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Consumer Product Chemical
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Ethyl 3-Hydroxybutyrate.
Regulatory Flags
fragrance-component
epa_safer_alternative
ifra_fragrance
fda_food_additive
jecfa_safe
Known Synonyms
Butyric acid, 3-hydroxy-, ethyl ester
Ethyl beta-hydroxybutyrate
Butanoic acid, 3-hydroxy-, ethyl ester
Ethyl (1)-3-hydroxybutyrate
EINECS 226-456-2
EINECS 252-642-8
FEMA No. 3428
NSC 42916
NSC 8115
UNII-52008C87PV
Chemical Function
Fragrance
Flavouring and nutrient
Solvent
Regulatory Lists
SCIL (9/2019)
IFRA Transparency
Europe
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
consumer_product
Australian Status
AICIS status: listed
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ethyl 3-Hydroxybutyrate allowed in the EU?
Ethyl 3-Hydroxybutyrate EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Ethyl 3-Hydroxybutyrate do in cosmetics?
Ethyl 3-Hydroxybutyrate functions as: Fragrance (perfuming agent); also flavoring (FEMA GRAS). It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 5405-41-4.
Is Ethyl 3-Hydroxybutyrate used outside cosmetics?
Ethyl 3-Hydroxybutyrate also appears in industrial chemical safety data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.
Compliance Tools
Check Ethyl 3-Hydroxybutyrate 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-Methylhydantoin-2-imide (Creatinine)
Excellent
Similar safety
Skin conditioning (skin brightening/l...
2-Hydroxypropylcarbamato Amodimethicone
Excellent
Similar safety
Hair conditioning; modified aminosili...
2-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Excellent
Similar safety
Softener and conditioner
3 O Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Excellent
Similar safety
Antioxidant; tyrosinase inhibitor; me...
3-Glyceryl Ascorbate
Excellent
Similar safety
Antioxidant, Humectant, Skin Conditio...
3-Hydroxybutyrate/3-Hydroxyhexanoate Copolymer
Excellent
Similar safety
Film Forming, Viscosity Controlling, ...
ETHOXY-METHOXYMETHYL-PHENOL
Good
Browse nearby
Perfuming
ETHOXYDIGLYCOL ACETATE
Good
Browse nearby
Solvent
ETHOXYHEPTYL BICYCLOOCTANONE
Good
Browse nearby
Skin Conditioning
Is Ethyl 3-Hydroxybutyrate 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 Ethyl 3-Hydroxybutyrate in your formulation.