Is GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) safe in cosmetics?
GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
Good
Active Ingredient
GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid)
Also known as: 4-Aminobutyric acid, Butanoic acid, 4-amino-, Butyric acid, 4-amino-, gamma-Amino-n-butyric acid, gamma-Aminobutyric acid (+15 more)
INCI: AMINOBUTYRIC ACID
GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) (CAS 56-12-2) is a cosmetic active ingredient functioning as anti-aging and skin-conditioning agent in cosmetics. EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: permitted, max 20%. Industrial safety data is also available in the chemical safety database. Same-CAS public records also appear in industrial chemical safety, pharmaceutical, and food safety data.
View industrial chemical safety profile for CAS 56-12-2 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Function
anti-aging and skin-conditioning agent in cosmetics
Safety Rating
GOOD
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
4-aminobutanoic acid
InChIKey
BTCSSZJGUNDROE-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
EU Max Conc.
20%
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review) safety assessment exists for Aminobutyric Acid/GABA.
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid).
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
Full
Tonnage Band
10 - 100 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (1)
Carcinogen Classification
No indication of carcinogenicity to humans (not listed by IARC).
Source: Toxin and Toxin Target Database (T3DB)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Flavouring and nutrient
No specific technical function
Softener and conditioner
Regulatory List Membership (1)
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid).
Regulatory Flags
fda_food_additive
Known Synonyms
4-Aminobutyric acid
Butanoic acid, 4-amino-
Butyric acid, 4-amino-
gamma-Amino-n-butyric acid
gamma-Aminobutyric acid
EINECS 200-258-6
Gamastan
Gammagee
Gamulin
EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 030802
Acide amino-4- butyrique
UNII-2ACZ6IPC6I
Aminalone
4-Aminobutanoate
4Abu
GABA
Gammar
Omega-Aminobutyrate
Piperidate
Piperidinate
Chemical Function
Softener and conditioner
No specific technical function
Flavouring and nutrient
Regulatory Lists
Europe
pharmaceutical
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
active_ingredient; agricultural; applied; Pesticides
active_ingredient; agricultural; applied; fruits_and_vegetables; Pesticides
active_ingredient; agricultural; Pesticides
active_ingredient; agricultural; Pesticides
active_ingredient; agricultural; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
Canada; pharmaceutical
Canada; pharmaceutical
Cross-Vertical Safety Context
Same-CAS public records found in pharmaceutical and food safety data.
SOURCE
ChEMBL / DrugCentral / FAERS
DB_PHARMA CAS match
Pharmaceutical Data
Same-CAS rows from the pharmaceutical spoke database.
Compound
GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL96
Max Phase
1
Adverse Event Associations
60
SOURCE
EFSA / FDA GRAS
food_additives + fda_gras_enriched
Food Safety Data
Same-CAS food additive or FDA GRAS records from the core public database.
Food Name
Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA)
FDA GRAS
At the notifier's request, FDA ceased to evaluate this notice
GRN
257
Food Category
sports_nutrition
Ingredient in beverages and beverage bases, chewing gum, ready-to-drink coffee and tea products, and candy at levels ranging from 0.04% to 4%
View full food safety profile →Frequently Asked Questions
Is GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) allowed in the EU?
GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) EU regulatory status: permitted. Maximum allowed concentration: 20%. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) do in cosmetics?
GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) functions as: anti-aging and skin-conditioning agent in cosmetics. It is classified as a Active Ingredient in our database. CAS number: 56-12-2.
Is GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) used outside cosmetics?
GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) also appears in industrial chemical safety, pharmaceutical, and food safety data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.
Compliance Tools
Check GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) 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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