Is Ethyl Lactate safe in cosmetics?
Ethyl Lactate has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
Good
Cosmetic Ingredient
Ethyl Lactate
Also known as: Propanoic acid, 2-hydroxy-, ethyl ester, 4-03-00-00643, BRN 1209448, EINECS 202-598-0, Ethyl alpha-hydroxypropionate (+3 more)
INCI: ETHYL LACTATE
Ethyl Lactate (CAS 97-64-3) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Solvent, fragrance ingredient, skin-conditioning agent. NOAEL 600 mg/kg bw/day (cross-referenced against ToxValDB ECHA IUCLID); 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 and pharmaceutical data.
View industrial chemical safety profile for CAS 97-64-3 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Ethyl Lactate is classified GHS Danger (H226, H318, H335, H319) in the chemicals database but is allowed in EU cosmetics.
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu_status; Chemicals: ghs_classifications.signal_word/hazard_statement_code
Function
Solvent, fragrance ingredient, skin-conditioning agent
Safety Rating
GOOD
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
ethyl 2-hydroxypropanoate
InChIKey
LZCLXQDLBQLTDK-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Permitted — no specific CFR restriction; FEMA GRAS
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 Lactate.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Pre-Calculated Safety Assessment
Pre-calculated NOAEL → SED → MoS audit trail for Ethyl Lactate across SCCS product categories, with measured dermal absorption where available.
HRIPT Human Patch Test Studies
1 human repeat insult patch test aggregated from dermatological literature.
| Test Type | N | Sensitized | Dose µg/cm² | NESIL µg/cm² | Potency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMT | - | 0 | 5400 | - | - |
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
10 - 100 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE; GROUP
SVHC Candidate
No
Hazard classification: Restricted (Annex XVII)
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Regulatory (2)
JECFA Number
931
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
JECFA Evaluation
LACTIC ACID ETHYL ESTER | 2001 | NOT SPECIFIED (1982) | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent. The 1982 group ADI of "not specified" for lactic acid and ethyl lactate was maintained at the fifty-seventh meeting (2001). | TRS 909-JECFA 57/98 | FAS 48-JECFA 57/333
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Cleaning agent
Diluent
Flavouring and nutrient
Fragrance
Pharmaceutical
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 Lactate.
Regulatory Flags
potential-allergen
fragrance-component
epa_safer_alternative
ifra_fragrance
fda_food_additive
Known Synonyms
Propanoic acid, 2-hydroxy-, ethyl ester
4-03-00-00643
BRN 1209448
EINECS 202-598-0
Ethyl alpha-hydroxypropionate
FEMA No. 2440
Ethylester kyseliny mlecne
UNII-F3P750VW8I
Chemical Function
Solvent
Fragrance
Flavouring and nutrient
Regulatory Lists
active_ingredient; Australia
active_ingredient; animal_products; Europe; pharmaceutical; residue
IFRA Transparency
Europe
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
SCIL (9/2019)
consumer_product
fracking; water
inert_ingredient; Pesticides
inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides
Australian Status
AICIS status: listed
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.
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL3186323
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ethyl Lactate allowed in the EU?
Ethyl Lactate EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Ethyl Lactate do in cosmetics?
Ethyl Lactate functions as: Solvent, fragrance ingredient, skin-conditioning agent. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 97-64-3.
Is Ethyl Lactate used outside cosmetics?
Ethyl Lactate 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 Ethyl Lactate have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Ethyl Lactate is classified GHS Danger (H226, H318, H335, H319) in the chemicals database but is allowed in EU cosmetics.
Compliance Tools
Check Ethyl Lactate 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
(AGARICUS BLAZEI FERMENT + GANODERMA LUCIDUM FERMENT + GANODERMA MULTIPILEUM FERMENT) EXTRACT
Good
Similar safety
Anti-sebum, Antioxidant, Skin Protecting
(ANGELICA ACUTILOBA/PAEONIA LACTIFLORA/REHMANNIA GLUTINOSA) ROOT/CNIDIUM OFFICINALE RHIZOME EXTRACT
Good
Similar safety
Skin Conditioning, Skin Conditioning ...
(ANGELICA ACUTILOBA/PAEONIA LACTIFLORA/REHMANNIA GLUTINOSA/SCUTELLARIA BAICALENSIS) ROOT/(CNIDIUM OFFICINALE/COPTIS CHINENSIS) RHIZOME/GARDENIA JASMINOIDES FRUIT/PHELLODENDRON CHINENSE BARK EXTRACT
Good
Similar safety
(ANGELICA GIGAS/GLYCYRRHIZA URALENSIS/REHMANNIA GLUTINOSA ROOT)/ANGELICA GIGAS STEM/CARTHAMUS TINCTORIUS FLOWER/(CARTHAMUS TINCTORIUS/PRUNUS PERSICA SEED)PORIA COCOS WATER
Good
Similar safety
Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Pr...
(ANGELICA KEISKEI/CHRYSANTHEMUM ZAWADSKII) LEAF/STEM/CINNAMOMUM CASSIA BARK/TRICHOSANTES KIRILOWII FRUIT/ULMUS DAVIDIANA BARK/ROOT/(PAEONIA JAPONICA/BUPLEURUM FALCATUM/POLYGALA TENUIFOLIA ROOT)/VISCUS ALBUM STEM EXTRACT
Good
Similar safety
Anti-seborrheic, Anti-sebum, Antioxid...
(APPLE/CITRUS JUNOS/LENTIL/PEAR/PUMPKIN/STRAWBERRY/TOMATO FRUIT)/CORN KERNEL/(ARCTIUM LAPPA/BRASSICA OLERACEA ACEPHALA/CABBAGE/CAMELLIA SINENSIS/MORINGA OLEIFERA/RADISH/SPINACH LEAF)/(SORGHUM BICOLOR LEAF/STEM)/OAT MEAL/POTATO PULP/(CARROT/NELUMBO NUCIFERA/RADISH/WILD YAM ROOT)/(AMARANTHUS HYPOCHONDRIACUS/CASHEW/CICER ARIETINUM/COIX LACRYMA-JOBI MA-YUEN /MACADAMIA TERNIFOLIA/PHASEOLUS ANGULARIS/PISTACIA VERA/RHYNCHOSIA NULUBILIS/RICE/SESAME/SETARIA ITALICA/SOYBEAN/SWEET ALMOND/WHEAT SEED)/HORDEUM VULGARE SPROUT/CYPERUS ESCULENTUS TUBER/ARTEMISIA PRINCEPS/BROCCOLI/CHENOPODIUM QUINOA/ENTEROMORPHA COMPRESSA/HORDEUM VULGARE/IPOMOEA BATATAS/LAMINARIA JAPONICA/LENTINUS EDODES/PLEUROTUS OSTREATUS/PORPHYRA TENERA/UNDARIA PINNATIFIDA EXTRACT
Good
Similar safety
Antioxidant
2,2'-Thiobis(4-Chlorophenol)
Poor
Chemical family
Antimicrobial / antifungal agent
2-Ethylbutanol
Good
Chemical family
Perfuming / Solvent
Allantoin
Excellent
Chemical family
Skin conditioner, keratolytic, anti-i...
Is Ethyl Lactate 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 Lactate in your formulation.