Is Ferric Sulfate safe in cosmetics?
Ferric Sulfate has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
Good
Cosmetic Ingredient
Ferric Sulfate
Also known as: Sulfuric acid, iron(3+) salt, Coquimbite mineral, EINECS 233-072-9, Iron(3+) sulfate, (2:3), UNII-4YKQ1X5E5Y (+5 more)
INCI: FERRIC SULFATE
Ferric Sulfate (CAS 10028-22-5) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Astringent. 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 10028-22-5 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Ferric Sulfate is classified GHS Danger (H290, H302, H315, H317, H318, H319, H335) in the chemicals database but is allowed in EU cosmetics.
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu_status; Chemicals: ghs_classifications.signal_word/hazard_statement_code
Function
Astringent
Safety Rating
GOOD
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
bis(iron(3+));trisulfate
InChIKey
RUTXIHLAWFEWGM-UHFFFAOYSA-H
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Permitted — FDA-approved direct food additive (21 CFR 184.1307); not restricted for cosmetic use. CIR reviewed under Inorganic Sulfates safety assessment
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Ferric Sulfate.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
EPA ToxValDB — Toxicity Values
4 toxicity values from EPA ToxValDB (aggregated from CCTE, HPV, ToxRefDB, IRIS, and other regulatory dossiers).
| Endpoint | Value | Species | Route | Duration | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOEL | =250 mg/kg-day | Rat | multiple | subchronic | ECOTOX |
| LOEL | =250 mg/kg-day | Rat | multiple | subchronic | ECOTOX |
| NOEL | =250 mg/kg-day | Rat | multiple | subchronic | ECOTOX |
| NOEL | =1000 mg/kg-day | Rat | multiple | subchronic | ECOTOX |
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
100,000 - 1,000,000 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (1)
Skin Eye Respiratory Irritation
Irritating to eyes, and throat. Solid irritating to skin and eyes. | Inhalation of ferric salts as dusts and mists is irritating to the respiratory tract. Ferric salts are regarded as skin irritants. /Iron salts/ | If inhaled, iron is a local irritant to the lung and gastrointestinal tract. /Iron compounds/
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Flavouring and nutrient
Humectant
Regulatory List Membership (1)
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Ferric Sulfate.
Regulatory Flags
fda_food_additive
Known Synonyms
Sulfuric acid, iron(3+) salt
Coquimbite mineral
EINECS 233-072-9
Iron(3+) sulfate, (2:3)
UNII-4YKQ1X5E5Y
Ferric persulfate
Ferric sesquisulfate
Ferric tersulfate
Iron tersulfate
iron(III) sulfate(VI)
Chemical Function
Humectant
Flavouring and nutrient
Regulatory Lists
inert_ingredient; Pesticides
inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
Canada; pharmaceutical
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; 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.
Compound
ferric sulfate
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL5095046
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ferric Sulfate allowed in the EU?
Ferric Sulfate EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Ferric Sulfate do in cosmetics?
Ferric Sulfate functions as: Astringent. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 10028-22-5.
Is Ferric Sulfate used outside cosmetics?
Ferric Sulfate 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 Ferric Sulfate have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Ferric Sulfate is classified GHS Danger (H290, H302, H315, H317, H318, H319, H335) in the chemicals database but is allowed in EU cosmetics.
Compliance Tools
Check Ferric Sulfate compliance across multiple jurisdictions:
Ingredient Decoder
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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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