Is Hexylresorcinol safe in cosmetics?
Hexylresorcinol has a safety rating of "EXCELLENT" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
Excellent
Active Ingredient
Hexylresorcinol
INCI: HEXYLRESORCINOL
Hexylresorcinol (CAS 136-77-6) is a cosmetic active ingredient functioning as Tyrosinase inhibitor; inhibits melanogenesis in human melanocytes with. 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 pharmaceutical data.
View industrial chemical safety profile for CAS 136-77-6 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Function
Tyrosinase inhibitor; inhibits melanogenesis in human melanocytes with negligible cytotoxicity; comparable to 2% hydroquinone at 1% concentration; effective for skin brightening at 0.5–1%
Safety Rating
EXCELLENT
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
4-hexylbenzene-1,3-diol
InChIKey
WFJIVOKAWHGMBH-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
EU Max Conc.
20%
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
No FDA restriction at cosmetic brightening concentrations (0.5–1%). Historical antimicrobial use at higher concentrations is a separate application and separate safety profile. Not listed in OTC skin-bleaching monograph (21 CFR 310.545). No drug classification at brightening concentrations.
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Hexylresorcinol.
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
1 - 10 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
Typical Use Concentrations
Reported concentration ranges per product category from SCCS/CIR/industry sources.
| Product Category | Typical Range | Max Reported | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serum | 0.1–0.5 | 1 | CIR/SCCS |
Additional Ingredient Properties
6 property records from structured ingredient metadata.
acne
{"cas_number": "136-77-6", "anti_acne_mechanism": "antibacterial/keratolytic", "comedogenicity_rating_0_to_5": "1", "acne_type_efficacy": "inflammatory/non_inflammatory", "p_acnes_mic_ug_per_ml": "50-200", "sebum_reduction_pct_clinical": "10-15", "prescription_required_usa": "No", "otc_drug_monograph_category": "No", "max_otc_concentration_pct": "No limit", "japan_quasi_drug_anti_acne": "No", "kor…
depigmentation
{"cas_number": "136-77-6", "ingredient_class": "tyrosinase_inhibitor", "primary_mechanism_of_action": "Resorcinol derivative; potent tyrosinase inhibitor used in clinical peels", "secondary_mechanisms": "Variable", "molecular_target": "tyrosinase", "tyrosinase_inhibition_IC50_uM": "varies", "tyrosinase_inhibition_type": "competitive", "melanin_reduction_pct_in_vitro": "25-45", "melanin_reduction_p…
regulatory
{"eu_status": "allowed", "us_status": "allowed"}
sensory
{"silky": "powdery", "smooth, glides easily": "fine, brightening", "dry-touch, non-greasy": "brightened, even", "instant": "moderate", "low": "low", "w/o": "o/w", "very-high": "moderate", "no": "no", "yes": "no", "1.40": "1.60", "transparent": "opaque", "colorless": "white", "excellent": "fair", "light": "light", "synthetic": "synthetic"}
skin_brightening
{"cas_number": "136-77-6", "mechanism_of_action": "Tyrosinase inhibition; melanocyte proliferation inhibition", "melanogenesis_pathway_target": "Tyrosinase", "tyrosinase_inhibition_ic50_um": "~5-15", "tyrosinase_inhibition_vs_kojic_acid": "~5-14x more potent", "melanosome_transfer_inhibitor": "No", "melanin_oxidation_reducer": "Yes", "endothelin_pathway_blocker": "No", "alpha_msh_antagonist": "No"…
uv_stability
{"uv_stable": "yes", "uv_degradation_rate": "slow", "photosensitizer": "no", "phototoxic": "no", "photoallergic": "no", "requires_uv_protection_packaging": "no", "color_change_uv": "no", "odor_change_uv": "no", "efficacy_loss_uv_pct": "10", "spf_contribution": "no", "uva_protection": "no", "uvb_protection": "no", "photostable_sunscreen": "no", "boost_spf_of_others": "no", "antioxidant_under_uv": "…
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (4)
Carcinogen Classification
No indication of carcinogenicity to humans (not listed by IARC).
Source: Toxin and Toxin Target Database (T3DB)
Carcinogen Classification
4-Hexylresorcinol | TR-330: Toxicology and Carcinogenesis Studies of 4-Hexylresorcinol (CASRN 136-77-6) in F344/N Rats and B6C3F1 Mice (Gavage Studies) (1988 ) | 03/04/87 | No Evidence | No Evidence | Equivocal Evidence | No Evidence | Under the conditions of these 2-year gavage studies, there was no evidence of carcinogenic activity of 4-hexylresorcinol for male or female F344/N rats giv
Source: NTP Technical Reports
Endocrine Disruptors
Potential endocrine disrupting compound
Source: NORMAN Suspect List Exchange
Skin Eye Respiratory Irritation
Concentrated solutions can cause irritation of skin, mucous membranes.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Regulatory (2)
JECFA Evaluation
4-HEXYLRESORCINOL | 1995 | JECFA was unable to establish a numerical ADI but concluded that the treatment of crustacea at concentrations of up to 50 mg/L, resulting in residue levels of approximately 1 mg/kg in the edible portion, is not of toxicological concern. | TRS 859-JECFA 44/10 | FAS 35-JECFA 44/105
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
EU Food Improvement
Food additives
Source: EU Food Improvement Agents
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Biocide
Pharmaceutical
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Hexylresorcinol.
Regulatory Flags
tyrosinase-inhibitor
brightening
comparable-to-2pct-hq
negligible-cytotoxicity
anhydrous-vehicle-enhances-delivery
silymarin-vitamins-combination
all-fitzpatrick-phototypes
no-leukoderma
eu-allowed
us-allowed
underutilised
Chemical Function
Biocide
Pharmaceutical
Regulatory Lists
Canada; pharmaceutical
Canada; consumer_product; Substances in Products - Canada (4/2014)
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
HEXYLRESORCINOL
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL443605
Max Phase
-1
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hexylresorcinol allowed in the EU?
Hexylresorcinol EU regulatory status: permitted. Maximum allowed concentration: 20%. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Hexylresorcinol do in cosmetics?
Hexylresorcinol functions as: Tyrosinase inhibitor; inhibits melanogenesis in human melanocytes with negligible cytotoxicity; comparable to 2% hydroquinone at 1% concentration; effective for skin brightening at 0.5–1%. It is classified as a Active Ingredient in our database. CAS number: 136-77-6.
Is Hexylresorcinol used outside cosmetics?
Hexylresorcinol also appears in pharmaceutical data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.
Compliance Tools
Check Hexylresorcinol 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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