Is Lauric Acid safe in cosmetics?
Lauric Acid has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
GOOD
Emollient
Lauric Acid
Also known as: 1-Undecanecarboxylic acid, 4-02-00-01082, BRN 1099477, EINECS 205-582-1, FEMA No. 2614 (+14 more)
INCI: LAURIC ACID
Lauric Acid (CAS 143-07-7) is a cosmetic emollient functioning as Saturated long-chain fatty acid (C12:0). Dominant fatty acid in virgin coconut. 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, pharmaceutical, and food safety data.
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Lauric Acid is classified GHS Danger (H315, H318, H319) in the chemicals database but is allowed in EU cosmetics.
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu status; Chemicals: ghs classifications.signal word/hazard statement code
Function
Saturated long-chain fatty acid (C12:0). Dominant fatty acid in virgin coconut oil (approximately 46-48%). Primary antimicrobial component via membrane disruption. Functions as emollient, skin-conditioning agent, and antimicrobial agent.
Editorial assessment
GOOD
Preliminary editorial note — not a computed safety verdict.
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
dodecanoic acid
InChIKey
POULHZVOKOAJMA-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Primary fatty acid of virgin coconut oil (approximately 46-48%). FDA GRAS for food use. Clinical trials demonstrate TEWL reduction superior to mineral oil in atopic dermatitis. Antimicrobial activity via membrane disruption. C12 fatty acids are substrates for Malassezia; lauric acid-rich oils are contraindicated in fungal-acne (Malassezia folliculitis) sensitive formulations.
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Lauric Acid.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
EPA ToxValDB — Toxicity Values
1 toxicity value from EPA ToxValDB (aggregated from CCTE, HPV, ToxRefDB, IRIS, and other regulatory dossiers).
| Endpoint | Value | Species | Route | Duration | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LD50 | =12000 mg/kg | Rat | oral | - | ChemIDplus |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HRIPT | - | 0 | - | - | - |
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
10,000 - 100,000 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (2)
Carcinogen Classification
No indication of carcinogenicity to humans (not listed by IARC).
Source: Toxin and Toxin Target Database (T3DB)
Skin Eye Respiratory Irritation
... Interviews with workers indicated that lauric acid exposure caused local irritation of moist body surfaces (eye, nose, throat, sweaty skin). Severe irritation was reported by 1 worker after exposure of moist occluded skin areas to lauric acid ...
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Regulatory (2)
JECFA Number
111
Source: WHO/JECFA
JECFA Evaluation
LAURIC ACID | 1997 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 884-JECFA 49/29 | FAS 40-JECFA 49/147
Source: WHO/JECFA
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Cleaning agent
Emulsifier
Flavouring and nutrient
Fragrance
Humectant
Lubricating agent
Plasticizer
Surfactant (surface active agent)
Regulatory List Membership (5)
EU Restricted for Children (Cosmetics)
IFRA Fragrance Transparency List
EPA Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL)
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Consumer Product Chemical
Editorial summary
Preliminary editorial summary for Lauric Acid — not a computed safety verdict. See the sourced toxicological data above.
Regulatory Flags
antimicrobial
malassezia-substrate
contraindicated-fungal-acne
coconut-derived
eu_children_restricted
epa_safer_alternative
ifra_fragrance
fda_food_additive
jecfa_safe
NOAEL Studies Summary
View details ->Public NOAEL study rows linked to Lauric Acid by CAS number or substance name.
Studies
6
Lowest NOAEL
1000 mg/kg bw/day
Highest NOAEL
1500 mg/kg bw/day
ECHA
Known Synonyms
1-Undecanecarboxylic acid
4-02-00-01082
BRN 1099477
EINECS 205-582-1
FEMA No. 2614
Hydrofol acid 1255
Hydrofol acid 1295
Ninol AA62 Extra
NSC-5026
Univol U-314
Wecoline 1295
UNII-1160N9NU9U
1-Undecanecarboxylate
ABL
C12 fatty acid
C12:0
CH3-[CH2]10-COOH
Coconut oil fatty acids
DAO
Chemical Function
Surfactant (surface active agent)
Emulsifier
Cleaning agent
Fragrance
Flavouring and nutrient
Regulatory Lists
detected; Europe; Other direct contact consumer goods
detected; Europe; Vehicle - car interior
air; detected; emissions; Europe; Vehicle - car interior
inert_ingredient; Pesticides
detected; emissions; Europe; Other indirect contact consumer goods; water
detected; Europe; Toys and children's products
Arts and crafts/Office supplies - children's art and toys - modeling clay; detected; Europe
air; Arts and crafts/Office supplies - children's art and toys - modeling clay; detected; emissions; Europe
detected; Europe; Other direct contact consumer goods
detected; Toys and children's products
Europe
SCIL (9/2019)
pharmaceutical
drinking_water; Europe; manufacturing; plastic_additive
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
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
DODECANOATE
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL108766
SOURCE
EFSA / FDA GRAS
food_additives
Food Safety Data
Same-CAS food additive or FDA GRAS records from the core public database.
Food Name
Lauric acid
ADI
No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent mg/kg bw
Food Category
preservative
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lauric Acid allowed in the EU?
Lauric Acid EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Lauric Acid do in cosmetics?
Lauric Acid functions as: Saturated long-chain fatty acid (C12:0). Dominant fatty acid in virgin coconut oil (approximately 46-48%). Primary antimicrobial component via membrane disruption. Functions as emollient, skin-conditioning agent, and antimicrobial agent.. It is classified as a Emollient in our database. CAS number: 143-07-7.
Is Lauric Acid used outside cosmetics?
Lauric Acid 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.
Does Lauric Acid have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Lauric Acid is classified GHS Danger (H315, H318, H319) in the chemicals database but is allowed in EU cosmetics.
Compliance Tools
Check Lauric Acid 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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Antioxidant
9-Undecenal
GOOD
Chemical family
Perfuming
BIS(HEXAMETHYLENE)TRIAMINE
GOOD
Chemical family
Not Reported
DEA-Lauryl Sulfate
MODERATE
Chemical family
Surfactant - cleansing, foaming
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