Is L-Phenylalanine safe in cosmetics?
L-Phenylalanine has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted. 7 toxicological study endpoint(s) are available in our database.
L-Phenylalanine
Also known as: Phenylalanine (ENCS), Alanine, 3-phenyl-, alpha-Aminohydrocinnamic acid, L-, alpha-Amino-beta-phenylpropionic acid, L-, 2-Amino-3-phenylpropionic acid, L- (+15 more)
INCI: PHENYLALANINE
L-Phenylalanine (CAS 63-91-2) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Fragrance, Hair conditioning, Masking. NOAEL 500 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.
Function
Fragrance, Hair conditioning, Masking
Editorial assessment
GOOD
Preliminary editorial note — not a computed safety verdict.
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
(2S)-2-amino-3-phenylpropanoic acid
InChIKey
COLNVLDHVKWLRT-QMMMGPOBSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
No FDA cosmetic restrictions; essential amino acid; phenylketonuria (PKU) warning relevant only for ingestible products, not topical cosmetics
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for L-Phenylalanine.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Toxicological Studies
7 study endpoints found for L-Phenylalanine. NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect Level) values are used to calculate the Margin of Safety per SCCS methodology.
| Endpoint | Value | Route | Species | Study Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOAEL | 450 mg/kg bw/day | oral | mouse | Carcinogenicity | COSMOS DB |
| NOAEL | 820 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rabbit | Developmental | COSMOS DB |
| NOAEL | 1300 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Reproductive | COSMOS DB |
| NOAEL | 1500 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Reproductive | COSMOS DB |
| NOAEL | 2500 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Reproductive | COSMOS DB |
| NOAEL | 5000 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Short Term Toxicity | COSMOS DB |
| NOAEL | 7000 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Short Term Toxicity | COSMOS DB |
Pre-Calculated Safety Assessment
Pre-calculated NOAEL → SED → MoS audit trail for L-Phenylalanine 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
10 - 100 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (1)
Carcinogen Classification
No indication of carcinogenicity to humans (not listed by IARC).
Source: Toxin and Toxin Target Database (T3DB)
Regulatory (2)
JECFA Number
1428
Source: WHO/JECFA
JECFA Evaluation
L-PHENYLALANINE | 2004 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | Not evaluated using the Procedure for the Safety Evaluation of Flavouring Agents; the substance is a macronutrient and a normal component of protein and, as such, human exposure through food is orders of magnitude higher than the anticipated level of exposure from use as a flavouring agent |…
Source: WHO/JECFA
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Flavouring and nutrient
Regulatory List Membership (1)
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Editorial summary
Preliminary editorial summary for L-Phenylalanine — not a computed safety verdict. See the sourced toxicological data above.
Regulatory Flags
amino-acid
essential-amino-acid
fragrance
hair-conditioning
masking
fda_food_additive
jecfa_safe
NOAEL Studies Summary
View details ->Public NOAEL study rows linked to L-Phenylalanine by CAS number or substance name.
Studies
7
Lowest NOAEL
450 mg/kg bw/day
Highest NOAEL
7000 mg/kg bw/day
COSMOS DB
Known Synonyms
Phenylalanine (ENCS)
Alanine, 3-phenyl-
alpha-Aminohydrocinnamic acid, L-
alpha-Amino-beta-phenylpropionic acid, L-
2-Amino-3-phenylpropionic acid, L-
L-Antibiotic FN 1636
EINECS 200-568-1
FEMA No. 3585
Hydrocinnamic acid, alpha-amino-
beta-Phenylalnine, (-)-
Fenilalanina
Phenylalaninum
UNII-47E5O17Y3R
(2S)-2-amino-3-phenyl-propanoic acid
(L)-Phenylalanine
(S)-2-Amino-3-phenylpropionate
(S)-2-amino-3-phenylpropanoate
(S)-alpha-Amino-benzenepropanoate
(S)-alpha-Amino-benzenepropanoic acid
(S)-alpha-Amino-beta-phenylpropionate
Chemical Function
Flavouring and nutrient
Regulatory Lists
Europe
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
pharmaceutical
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
PHENYLALANINE
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL301523
Max Phase
3
Adverse Event Associations
7
Frequently Asked Questions
Is L-Phenylalanine allowed in the EU?
L-Phenylalanine EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does L-Phenylalanine do in cosmetics?
L-Phenylalanine functions as: Fragrance, Hair conditioning, Masking. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 63-91-2.
What is the NOAEL for L-Phenylalanine?
The NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect Level) for L-Phenylalanine is 450 mg/kg bw/day based on a Carcinogenicity study via oral route in mouse. A total of 7 study endpoints are available. Source: COSMOS DB.
Is L-Phenylalanine used outside cosmetics?
L-Phenylalanine 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.
Compliance Tools
Check L-Phenylalanine 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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