Is Ethyl Vanillin safe in cosmetics?
Ethyl Vanillin has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted. 5 toxicological study endpoint(s) are available in our database.
Ethyl Vanillin
Also known as: BRN 1073761, EINECS 204-464-7, 3-Ethoxyprotocatechualdehyde, Ethyl protal, Ethylprotocatechualdehyde-3-ethyl ether (+6 more)
INCI: ETHYL VANILLIN
Ethyl Vanillin (CAS 121-32-4) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Fragrance (perfuming agent); 3-4x stronger vanilla aroma intensity than. NOAEL 1000 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 food safety data.
View industrial chemical safety profile for CAS 121-32-4 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Function
Fragrance (perfuming agent); 3-4x stronger vanilla aroma intensity than vanillin; fragrance fixative
Safety Rating
GOOD
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
3-ethoxy-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde
InChIKey
CBOQJANXLMLOSS-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
GRAS; FEMA 2464; listed in FDA Inactive Ingredients Database; no specific FDA cosmetic restrictions
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 Vanillin.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Toxicological Studies
5 study endpoints found for Ethyl Vanillin. 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 | 505 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Subchronic | COSMOS_DB |
| NOAEL | 545 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Short Term Toxicity | COSMOS_DB |
| NOAEL | 1000 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Carcinogenicity | COSMOS_DB |
| NOAEL | 2500 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Chronic | COSMOS_DB |
| NOAEL | =1000 mg/kg bw/day | oral | Rat | subchronic | ToxValDB_ECHA_IUCLID |
Pre-Calculated Safety Assessment
Pre-calculated NOAEL → SED → MoS audit trail for Ethyl Vanillin across SCCS product categories, with measured dermal absorption where available.
Sensitization AOP Dashboard
Adverse Outcome Pathway data across 5 assays (DPRA, KeratinoSens, hCLAT, LLNA, NESIL) aggregated from public sources.
DPRA Cys %
1.1%
DPRA Lys %
27.4%
KeratinoSens IC50
2000 µM
hCLAT CV75
569.5 µg/mL
LLNA EC3
50%
NESIL
1296 µg/cm²
LLNA: Weak (1B)
GHS: 1B
Human: positive
Source: LLNA: Gerberick et al. (2005) | https://echa.europa.eu/it/registration-dossier/-/registered-dossier/13700/7/5/2; DPRA: Nukada et al. 2013 [DOI:10.1016/j.tiv.2012.11.006] | Gerberick et al. 2007 [DOI:10.1093/toxsci/kfm064]; KS: Emter et al. 2010 [DOI:10.1016/j.taap.2010.03.009]; hCLAT: Ashikaga et al. 2010 [DOI:10.1177/026119291003800403]; HPPT: [263] Kligman AM (1970): Report to RIFM, 2 December, unpublished.
HRIPT Human Patch Test Studies
2 human repeat insult patch tests aggregated from dermatological literature.
| Test Type | N | Sensitized | Dose µg/cm² | NESIL µg/cm² | Potency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HRIPT | 108 | 0 | 8858 | 8858 | non-sensitizer |
| HMT | - | 0 | 1296 | - | - |
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
1,000 - 10,000 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
Additional Ingredient Properties
1 property record from structured ingredient metadata.
fragrance
{"cas_number": "121-32-4", "ingredient_class": "aroma_chemical", "chemical_class": "aldehyde", "odor_family": "gourmand", "odor_description": "vanilla, intense, creamy, sweet", "odor_strength": "very_strong", "odor_tenacity_hours": "120.0", "top_note": "no", "heart_note": "yes", "base_note": "yes", "blending_factor_1_10": "9.0", "threshold_of_detection_ppb": "0.5", "molecular_weight_Da": "152.15",…
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (1)
Skin Eye Respiratory Irritation
A human skin irritant. | ... Highly irritating action on the eyes and mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. /Aldehydes/
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Regulatory (2)
JECFA Number
893
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
JECFA Evaluation
3-ETHOXY PROTOCATECHUALDEHYDE | 2019 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | Considered for specifications only | TRS 1020-JECFA 87/75 | FAS 48-JECFA 57/273
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Deodorizer
Flavouring and nutrient
Fragrance
Humectant
pH regulating agent
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 Vanillin.
Regulatory Flags
epa_safer_alternative
ifra_fragrance
fda_food_additive
NOAEL Studies Summary
View details ->Public NOAEL study rows linked to Ethyl Vanillin by CAS number or substance name.
Studies
5
Lowest NOAEL
505 mg/kg bw/day
Highest NOAEL
2500 mg/kg bw/day
COSMOS_DB
ToxValDB_ECHA_IUCLID
Known Synonyms
BRN 1073761
EINECS 204-464-7
3-Ethoxyprotocatechualdehyde
Ethyl protal
Ethylprotocatechualdehyde-3-ethyl ether
Ethylprotocatechuic aldehyde
FEMA No. 2464
Vanilal
Vanillin, ethyl-
Vanirome
UNII-YC9ST449YJ
Chemical Function
Fragrance
Deodorizer
Humectant
Flavouring and nutrient
Regulatory Lists
Australia; Food and drug - smoking-related products
IFRA Transparency
Europe
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
SCIL (9/2019)
consumer_product
inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides
Australian Status
AICIS status: listed
Cross-Vertical Safety Context
Same-CAS public records found in food safety data.
SOURCE
EFSA / FDA GRAS
food_additives
Food Safety Data
Same-CAS food additive or FDA GRAS records from the core public database.
Food Name
ETHYL VANILLIN
ADI
0-3 mg/kg bw (1995) mg/kg bw
Food Category
flavoring
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ethyl Vanillin allowed in the EU?
Ethyl Vanillin EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Ethyl Vanillin do in cosmetics?
Ethyl Vanillin functions as: Fragrance (perfuming agent); 3-4x stronger vanilla aroma intensity than vanillin; fragrance fixative. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 121-32-4.
What is the NOAEL for Ethyl Vanillin?
The NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect Level) for Ethyl Vanillin is 505 mg/kg bw/day based on a Subchronic study via oral route in rat. A total of 5 study endpoints are available. Source: COSMOS_DB.
Is Ethyl Vanillin used outside cosmetics?
Ethyl Vanillin also appears in industrial chemical safety and food safety data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.
Compliance Tools
Check Ethyl Vanillin 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
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