Is Isopropylparaben safe in cosmetics?
Isopropylparaben has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: prohibited. US status: permitted.
Isopropylparaben
Also known as: Benzoic acid, 4-hydroxy-, 1-methylethyl ester, 1-Methylethyl-4-hydroxybenzoate, BRN 2641564, EINECS 224-069-3, 1-Methylethyl 4-hydroxybenzoate (+2 more)
INCI: ISOPROPYLPARABEN
Isopropylparaben (CAS 4191-73-5) is a cosmetic preservative functioning as Preservative. NOAEL 250 mg/kg bw/day (cross-referenced against ToxValDB ECHA IUCLID); EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: prohibited. Industrial safety data is also available in the chemical safety database. Same-CAS public records also appear in industrial chemical safety and pharmaceutical data.
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Isopropylparaben is prohibited in EU cosmetics but has active industrial GHS classifications (H302, H315, H317, H318, H319).
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu status; Chemicals: ghs classifications.signal word/hazard statement code
Function
Preservative
Editorial assessment
GOOD
Preliminary editorial note — not a computed safety verdict.
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
propan-2-yl 4-hydroxybenzoate
InChIKey
CMHMMKSPYOOVGI-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
prohibited
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
CIR Expert Panel (1995): Concluded that Isobutylparaben and Isopropylparaben are safe as cosmetic ingredients in the present practices of use.
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Isopropylparaben.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Pre-Calculated Safety Assessment
Pre-calculated NOAEL → SED → MoS audit trail for Isopropylparaben across SCCS product categories, with measured dermal absorption where available.
Sensitization Profile
Contact sensitization data for Isopropylparaben based on clinical patch test studies and IFRA standards.
Sensitization Rate
low
Allergen Class
preservative
EU Allergen Listed
no
Patch Test Positive Rate
0.2%
Cross-reactivity Group
paraben-group
Reaction Type
contact-dermatitis
Source: SCCS Opinion
Endocrine Disruptor Evidence (Expanded)
Cross-referenced EDC classifications, mechanism data, and dose-response evidence from EDLists, SIN List, and cosmetic-specific detail sources.
Cosmetic-Specific Mechanism
Category: paraben
Receptor targets: ERα, AR
LOEC: 10 µM
EU status: not_listed (effectively banned via restrictions)
agonist (ER); antagonist (AR)
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
Ceased manufacture
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
EU CosIng Annex Listing
European Commission CosIng database Annex references per Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009.
Annex II — Prohibited
Ref: 1374
(EU) 2014/358
Expanded Jurisdictional Detail
Additional regulatory detail beyond the 7-jurisdiction summary: Saudi SFDA, Korea MFDS, ASEAN ACD, Japan/Korea, Brazil/India, and cross-jurisdictional restriction entries.
SA Saudi SFDA (II - Prohibited)
ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (II)
Ref: 1374
BRIN Brazil/India Cosmetics
Brazil: Prohibited
India: Prohibited (GNRAS)
Additional Jurisdictional Restrictions (2)
| Jurisdiction | Status | Max % | Product Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| AU | restricted | - | preservatives |
| BR | banned | - | - |
Expanded Dermal Absorption Data
Cross-database dermal penetration: EPA Dryad physics-based, Roberts Mendeley permeation, and SCCS-aggregated measured values.
Aggregated DA Values (1 records across 5 sources)
| Type | DA % | Method | Skin Model | SCCS Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| measured_sccs_opinion | 0.4% | - | - | SCCP/1183/08 |
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (1)
Endocrine Disruptors
Potential endocrine disrupting compound
Source: NORMAN Suspect List Exchange
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Preservative
Regulatory List Membership (3)
EU Banned in Cosmetics
EU Restricted for Children (Cosmetics)
EU CosIng Cosmetics Ingredient Database
Editorial summary
Preliminary editorial summary for Isopropylparaben — not a computed safety verdict. See the sourced toxicological data above.
Regulatory Flags
EU Restricted
eu_banned_cosmetics
eu_children_restricted
eu_cosing_listed
Dermal Absorption
View details ->| Absorption % | Method | Vehicle |
|---|---|---|
| 0.4% | SCCS opinion extraction | - |
Known Synonyms
Benzoic acid, 4-hydroxy-, 1-methylethyl ester
1-Methylethyl-4-hydroxybenzoate
BRN 2641564
EINECS 224-069-3
1-Methylethyl 4-hydroxybenzoate
p-Oxybenzoesaureisopropylester
UNII-A6EOX47QK0
Chemical Function
Preservative
Regulatory Lists
banned; Europe; Personal care
children; Europe; Personal care - general moisturizing - hand/body lotion
children; Europe; Personal care - hair styling and care - shampoo
children; Europe; Personal care
children; Europe; Personal care
children; Europe; Personal care
children; Europe; Personal care
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
ISOPROPYL 4-HYDROXYBENZOATE
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL2333962
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Isopropylparaben allowed in the EU?
Isopropylparaben EU regulatory status: prohibited. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Isopropylparaben do in cosmetics?
Isopropylparaben functions as: Preservative. It is classified as a Preservative in our database. CAS number: 4191-73-5.
Is Isopropylparaben used outside cosmetics?
Isopropylparaben 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 Isopropylparaben have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Isopropylparaben is prohibited in EU cosmetics but has active industrial GHS classifications (H302, H315, H317, H318, H319).
Compliance Tools
Check Isopropylparaben 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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