Is Guaiacol safe in cosmetics?
Guaiacol has a safety rating of "MODERATE" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
Moderate
Cosmetic Ingredient
Guaiacol
Also known as: o-Methoxyphenol, EINECS 201-964-7, FEMA No. 2532, Guajacol, Pyrocatechol methyl ester (+12 more)
INCI: GUAIACOL
Guaiacol (CAS 90-05-1) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Fragrance ingredient, denaturant. NOAEL 240 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 90-05-1 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Guaiacol is classified GHS Danger (H302, H315, H319, H318, H332, H336, H370, H402) in the chemicals database but is allowed in EU cosmetics.
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu_status; Chemicals: ghs_classifications.signal_word/hazard_statement_code
Function
Fragrance ingredient, denaturant
Safety Rating
MODERATE
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
2-methoxyphenol
InChIKey
LHGVFZTZFXWLCP-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Permitted — FEMA GRAS; FDA 21 CFR 172.515 (food flavoring); no cosmetic-specific restriction
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Guaiacol.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Pre-Calculated Safety Assessment
Pre-calculated NOAEL → SED → MoS audit trail for Guaiacol across SCCS product categories, with measured dermal absorption where available.
EU CLP Annex VI Harmonized Classification
Legally binding harmonized classification per Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 (CLP) Annex VI.
Signal Word
Warning
Pictograms
Harmful / Irritant
Hazard Class and Category
Acute Tox. 4 *; Skin Irrit. 2; Eye Irrit. 2
Hazard Statements
- H302 Harmful if swallowed
- H315 Causes skin irritation
- H319 Causes serious eye irritation
Inserted via ATP: CLP00
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 | 1350 | - | - |
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
Hazard classification: Restricted (Annex XVII)
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (2)
Carcinogen Classification
No indication of carcinogenicity to humans (not listed by IARC).
Source: Toxin and Toxin Target Database (T3DB)
Skin Eye Respiratory Irritation
Eye, skin, gastrointestinal, and/or respiratory tract irritation ... .
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Regulatory (7)
JECFA Number
713
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
JECFA Evaluation
1-HYDROXY-2-METHOXYBENZENE | 2000 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 901-JECFA 55/44 | FAS 46-JECFA 55/165
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
JECFA Evaluation
o-HYDROXYANISOLE | 2000 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 901-JECFA 55/44 | FAS 46-JECFA 55/165
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
JECFA Evaluation
o-METHOXYPHENOL | 2000 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 901-JECFA 55/44 | FAS 46-JECFA 55/165
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
JECFA Evaluation
GUAIACOL | 2000 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 901-JECFA 55/44 | FAS 46-JECFA 55/165
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Flavouring and nutrient
Fragrance
No specific technical function
Regulatory List Membership (3)
IFRA Fragrance Transparency List
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Consumer Product Chemical
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Guaiacol.
Regulatory Flags
fragrance-component
ifra_fragrance
fda_food_additive
jecfa_safe
Known Synonyms
o-Methoxyphenol
EINECS 201-964-7
FEMA No. 2532
Guajacol
Pyrocatechol methyl ester
UNII-6JKA7MAH9C
2-Methoxy-Phenol
Creodon
Guaiacol (liquid) extra pure
Guaicol
Guaicolina
Guajol
Guasol
Guiacol
Methoxyphenol
Methylcatachol
O-Methoxy-Phenol
Chemical Function
Fragrance
No specific technical function
Flavouring and nutrient
Regulatory Lists
Cleaning products and household care - air freshener; Europe
air; Cleaning products and household care - air freshener; detected; emissions; Europe
air; Cleaning products and household care - air freshener; detected; emissions; Europe
artificial_saliva; detected; emissions; Europe; Toys and children's products
Europe
Europe; nondetect; Other direct contact consumer goods
active_ingredient; animal_products; Europe; pharmaceutical; residue
Australia; Food and drug - smoking-related products
IFRA Transparency
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
Canada; pharmaceutical
consumer_product
active_ingredient; Europe; 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
GUAIACOL
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL13766
Max Phase
3
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Guaiacol allowed in the EU?
Guaiacol EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Guaiacol do in cosmetics?
Guaiacol functions as: Fragrance ingredient, denaturant. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 90-05-1.
Is Guaiacol used outside cosmetics?
Guaiacol 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 Guaiacol have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Guaiacol is classified GHS Danger (H302, H315, H319, H318, H332, H336, H370, H402) in the chemicals database but is allowed in EU cosmetics.
Compliance Tools
Check Guaiacol 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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