Is Isovaleric Acid safe in cosmetics?
Isovaleric Acid has a safety rating of "MODERATE" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
MODERATE
Cosmetic Ingredient
Isovaleric Acid
Also known as: 3-Methylbutanoic acid, 4-02-00-00895, BRN 1098522, Butyric acid, 3-methyl-, EINECS 207-975-3 (+15 more)
INCI: ISOVALERIC ACID
Isovaleric Acid (CAS 503-74-2) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Perfuming (fragrance ingredient). NOAEL 50 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.
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Isovaleric Acid is classified GHS Danger (H314, H318) in the chemicals database but is allowed in EU cosmetics.
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu status; Chemicals: ghs classifications.signal word/hazard statement code
Function
Perfuming (fragrance ingredient)
Editorial assessment
MODERATE
Preliminary editorial note — not a computed safety verdict.
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
3-methylbutanoic acid
InChIKey
GWYFCOCPABKNJV-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Allowed - also permitted as a direct food additive (synthetic flavoring) under 21 CFR
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Isovaleric Acid.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Pre-Calculated Safety Assessment
Pre-calculated NOAEL → SED → MoS audit trail for Isovaleric Acid across SCCS product categories, with measured dermal absorption where available.
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 | 675 | - | - |
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
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Regulatory (3)
JECFA Number
259
Source: WHO/JECFA
JECFA Evaluation
3-METHYLBUTYRIC ACID | 1997 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 884-JECFA 49/37 | FAS 40-JECFA 49/189
Source: WHO/JECFA
JECFA Evaluation
ISOVALERIC ACID | 1997 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 884-JECFA 49/37 | FAS 40-JECFA 49/189
Source: WHO/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
Editorial summary
Preliminary editorial summary for Isovaleric Acid — not a computed safety verdict. See the sourced toxicological data above.
Regulatory Flags
potential-allergen
fragrance-component
ifra_fragrance
fda_food_additive
jecfa_safe
NOAEL Studies Summary
View details ->Public NOAEL study rows linked to Isovaleric Acid by CAS number or substance name.
Studies
18
Lowest NOAEL
250 mg/kg bw/day
Highest NOAEL
5000 mg/kg bw/day
ECHA
Known Synonyms
3-Methylbutanoic acid
4-02-00-00895
BRN 1098522
Butyric acid, 3-methyl-
EINECS 207-975-3
FEMA No. 3102
FEMA Number: 3102
Isobutyl formic acid
Isovalerianic
beta-Methylbutyric acid
Kyselina isovalerova
UNII-1BR7X184L5
3-Methyl-N-butyrate
3-Methylbutanoate
3-Methylbuttersaeure
3-Methylbutyric acid: isopropyl-Acetate
3-Methylbutyric acid: isopropyl-Acetic acid
3-methylbutyric acid
Delphinate
Isopentanoate
Chemical Function
Fragrance
No specific technical function
Flavouring and nutrient
Regulatory Lists
Europe
Australia; Food and drug - smoking-related products
IFRA Transparency
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
Canada; pharmaceutical
consumer_product
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
3-METHYLBUTANOIC ACID
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL568737
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Isovaleric Acid allowed in the EU?
Isovaleric Acid EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Isovaleric Acid do in cosmetics?
Isovaleric Acid functions as: Perfuming (fragrance ingredient). It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 503-74-2.
Is Isovaleric Acid used outside cosmetics?
Isovaleric Acid 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 Isovaleric Acid have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Isovaleric Acid is classified GHS Danger (H314, H318) in the chemicals database but is allowed in EU cosmetics.
Compliance Tools
Check Isovaleric Acid 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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