Is Hydroxyacetophenone safe in cosmetics?
Hydroxyacetophenone has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted. This ingredient has been reviewed by CIR Safety Assessment.
Hydroxyacetophenone
Also known as: 4'-Hydroxyacetophenone (Ethanone, 1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-), EINECS 202-802-8, HYDROXYACETOPHENONE, PARA, Methyl-p-hydroxyphenyl ketone, p-Oxyacetophenone (+6 more)
INCI: HYDROXYACETOPHENONE
Hydroxyacetophenone (CAS 99-93-4) is a cosmetic preservative functioning as Preservative Booster, Antimicrobial, Skin Conditioning, Antioxidant. NOAEL 45 mg/kg bw/day (cross-referenced against ToxValDB ECHA IUCLID); EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: permitted; 5 safety opinions reviewed (CIR Safety Assessment). 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.
Function
Preservative Booster, Antimicrobial, Skin Conditioning, Antioxidant
Editorial assessment
GOOD
Preliminary editorial note — not a computed safety verdict.
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethanone
InChIKey
TXFPEBPIARQUIG-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Permitted in OTC cosmetics; no specific FDA concentration limits; used as multifunctional preservative booster in hurdle technology systems; MoCRA 2026 compliance required
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Hydroxyacetophenone.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Safety Opinions
Official safety assessments from the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) and Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR).
CIR Safety Assessment
October 11, 2022
Verdict: safe
NOAEL: 600 mg/kg bw/d (not specified)
ulations, and concluded that Hydroxyacetophenone is safe in cosmetics in the present practices of use and concentration described in this safety assessment. INTRODUCTION This assessment reviews the safety of Hydroxyacetophenone as used in cosmetic formulations. According to the web- base
CIR Safety Assessment
October 11, 2022
Verdict: safe
NOAEL: 600 mg/kg bw/d (oral)
ulations, and concluded that Hydroxyacetophenone is safe in cosmetics in the present practices of use and concentration described in this safety assessment. INTRODUCTION This assessment reviews the safety of Hydroxyacetophenone as used in cosmetic formulations. According to the web- base
CIR Safety Assessment
October 11, 2022
Verdict: safe
NOAEL: 600 mg/kg bw/d (inhalation)
ulations, and concluded that Hydroxyacetophenone is safe in cosmetics in the present practices of use and concentration described in this safety assessment. INTRODUCTION This assessment reviews the safety of Hydroxyacetophenone as used in cosmetic formulations. According to the web- base
CIR Safety Assessment
October 11, 2022
Verdict: safe
NOAEL: 45 mg/kg bw/d (oral)
ulations, and concluded that Hydroxyacetophenone is safe in cosmetics in the present practices of use and concentration described in this safety assessment. INTRODUCTION This assessment reviews the safety of Hydroxyacetophenone as used in cosmetic formulations. According to the web- base
CIR Safety Assessment
October 11, 2022
Verdict: safe
NOAEL: 600 mg/kg bw (oral)
ulations, and concluded that Hydroxyacetophenone is safe in cosmetics in the present practices of use and concentration described in this safety assessment. INTRODUCTION This assessment reviews the safety of Hydroxyacetophenone as used in cosmetic formulations. According to the web- base
Pre-Calculated Safety Assessment
Pre-calculated NOAEL → SED → MoS audit trail for Hydroxyacetophenone across SCCS product categories, with measured dermal absorption where available.
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
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Regulatory (2)
JECFA Number
2040
Source: WHO/JECFA
JECFA Evaluation
4-HYDROXYACETOPHENONE | 2010 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 960-JECFA 73/101 | FAS 64-JECFA 73/157
Source: WHO/JECFA
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Antioxidant
Flavouring and nutrient
Fragrance
Preservative
Regulatory List Membership (3)
IFRA Fragrance Transparency List
EPA Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL)
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Editorial summary
Preliminary editorial summary for Hydroxyacetophenone — not a computed safety verdict. See the sourced toxicological data above.
Regulatory Flags
preservative-booster
microbiome-friendly
eubiosis-preserving
selective-antimicrobial
s-epidermidis-sparing
s-aureus-inhibition
c-acnes-moderate-inhibition
hurdle-technology
best-performing-combo
epa_safer_alternative
ifra_fragrance
fda_food_additive
Known Synonyms
4'-Hydroxyacetophenone (Ethanone, 1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-)
EINECS 202-802-8
HYDROXYACETOPHENONE, PARA
Methyl-p-hydroxyphenyl ketone
p-Oxyacetophenone
Phenol, p-acetyl-
4-Hydroksyacetofenol
UNII-G1L3HT4CMH
(4-Hydroxyphenyl)ethan-1-one
p-Hydroxyacetophenone
para-Hydroxyacetophenone
Chemical Function
Antioxidant
Flavouring and nutrient
Fragrance
Preservative
Regulatory Lists
IFRA Transparency
IFRA Transparency
Europe
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
SCIL (9/2019)
Australian Status
AICIS status: listed
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
4-HYDROXYACETOPHENONE
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL201083
SOURCE
EFSA / FDA GRAS
food_additives
Food Safety Data
Same-CAS food additive or FDA GRAS records from the core public database.
Food Name
4-HYDROXYACETOPHENONE
ADI
No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent mg/kg bw
Food Category
flavoring
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hydroxyacetophenone allowed in the EU?
Hydroxyacetophenone EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Hydroxyacetophenone do in cosmetics?
Hydroxyacetophenone functions as: Preservative Booster, Antimicrobial, Skin Conditioning, Antioxidant. It is classified as a Preservative in our database. CAS number: 99-93-4.
Is Hydroxyacetophenone used outside cosmetics?
Hydroxyacetophenone 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 Hydroxyacetophenone 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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Similar safety
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Antioxidant
3,4-DIHYDROXYBENZOIC ACID
GOOD
Chemical family
Skin Protecting
3,4-Dihydroxybenzoic Acid (Protocatechuic Acid)
GOOD
Chemical family
Antioxidant, skin conditioning
3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid
MODERATE
Chemical family
Antimicrobial, Skin Conditioning
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