Is Iron Powder safe in cosmetics?
Iron Powder has a safety rating of "MODERATE" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
Moderate
Cosmetic Ingredient
Iron Powder
Also known as: Iron (Fe), EINECS 231-096-4, Ferrous iron, Copy Powder CS 105-175, Diseases (animal), iron overload (+14 more)
INCI: IRON POWDER
Iron Powder (CAS 7439-89-6) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Bulking agent. 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 7439-89-6 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Iron Powder is classified GHS Danger (H228, H251, 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
Bulking agent
Safety Rating
MODERATE
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
iron
InChIKey
XEEYBQQBJWHFJM-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Permitted — no specific CFR cosmetic 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 Iron Powder.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LD50 | =20000 mg/kg | Guinea Pig | oral | - | ChemIDplus |
| LD50 | =30000 mg/kg | Rat | oral | - | ChemIDplus |
| RfD | =0.7 mg/kg-day | Human | oral | - | RSL |
| RfD | =0.7 mg/kg-day | Human | oral | - | RSL |
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
10,000,000 - 100,000,000 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (2)
Evidence for Carcinogenicity
A4: Not classifiable as a human carcinogen. /Iron oxide (Fe2O3)/
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Skin Eye Respiratory Irritation
If inhaled, iron is a local irritant to the lung and gastrointestinal tract.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Regulatory (1)
JECFA Evaluation
IRON | 1983 | For iron oxides and ferric hydroxide (substances which are virtually non-absorbable sources of iron), there is a wide margin of safety between the amounts of nutritionally required iron and levels of this form of iron that may contaminate food. In the case of ionisable salts, iron from ferric salts is less well absorbed than from ferrous salts (approximately two- to threefold), and c
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Anti-caking agent
Binder
Catalyst
Degradant/impurity
Flavouring and nutrient
No specific technical function
Opacifer
Pigment
Reducing agent
Sealant (barrier)
Regulatory List Membership (1)
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Iron Powder.
Regulatory Flags
potential-allergen
fda_food_additive
Known Synonyms
Iron (Fe)
EINECS 231-096-4
Ferrous iron
Copy Powder CS 105-175
Diseases (animal), iron overload
Diseases, iron overload
UNII-E1UOL152H7
Blood stop
Ferrum metallicum
26Fe
Eisen
Fe
fer
ferrum
hierro
iron atom
Fe(0)
iron dust
iron metal
Chemical Function
Opacifer
Reducing agent
Anti-caking agent
Softener and conditioner
Regulatory Lists
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
Europe; supplements
Europe; pharmaceutical
detected; Europe; Personal care - make-up and related - eye liner
Arts and crafts/Office supplies - body paint; detected; Europe
detected; Europe; Other direct contact consumer goods
Arts and crafts/Office supplies - general arts and crafts supplies - arts and crafts paint; detected; Europe
Construction and building materials; detected
Construction and building materials; detected
Journal of Chemical Engineering & Process Technology
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
iron
Adverse Event Associations
5257
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Iron Powder allowed in the EU?
Iron Powder EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Iron Powder do in cosmetics?
Iron Powder functions as: Bulking agent. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 7439-89-6.
Is Iron Powder used outside cosmetics?
Iron Powder 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 Iron Powder have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Iron Powder is classified GHS Danger (H228, H251, H319, H335) in the chemicals database but is allowed in EU cosmetics.
Compliance Tools
Check Iron Powder 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
Related Ingredients
Acrylates/Vinyl Neodecanoate Crosspolymer
Excellent
Same category
Emulsion stabilising, film forming
Adipic Acid
Excellent
Same category
Buffering
Aluminum Magnesium Oxide
Excellent
Same category
Absorbent, bulking agent, opacifying ...
Ammonium VA/Acrylates Copolymer
Excellent
Same category
Antistatic, binding, film forming, ha...
Ammonium VA/Crotonic Acid Copolymer
Excellent
Same category
Antistatic, film forming, hair fixing...
Aphanothece Sacrum Polysaccharide
Excellent
Same category
Absorbent, emulsion stabilising, film...
(20S)-Protopanaxadiol
Moderate
Similar safety
(Cnidium Officinale/Coptis Chinensis/Glycyrrhiza Uralensis) Root Extract
Moderate
Similar safety
Skin conditioning
(Cryptomeria Japonica/Chamaecyparis Obtusa) Stem Ferment Extract
Moderate
Similar safety
Antimicrobial, antioxidant, humectant
(Eclipta Prostrata/Houttuynia Cordata) Leaf Extract
Moderate
Similar safety
Skin conditioning
(Lepidium Meyenii/Sarcodon Aspratus) Root Water
Moderate
Similar safety
Skin conditioning
(Licorice/Reynoutria Japonica) Root/Stem Extract
Moderate
Similar safety
Skin conditioning, antioxidant
Magnesium Powder
Moderate
Chemical family
Bulking agent; abrasive; skin conditi...
Mercury Compounds
Good
Chemical family
Mercury compounds historically served...
ISOBORNYL DIPROPYLENE GLYCOL ETHERS
Good
Browse nearby
Antifoaming, Emulsion Stabilising, So...
Is Iron Powder in Your Products?
Scan any product label with Piro — our free ingredient scanner. Point your camera at the ingredients list and get instant safety scores for every ingredient.
Try Piro Free →Analyze Your Full Ingredient List
Paste any INCI list into the Decoder for instant safety analysis, or calculate the Margin of Safety for Iron Powder in your formulation.