Is Lawsone safe in cosmetics?
Lawsone has a safety rating of "MODERATE" in our database. EU status: prohibited. US status: permitted.
Moderate
Cosmetic Ingredient
Lawsone
INCI: LAWSONE (2-HYDROXY-1,4-NAPHTHOQUINONE)
Lawsone (CAS 83-72-7) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Hair dyeing (non-oxidizing hair colorant); historically proposed at up to 1.5%. EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: prohibited. Industrial safety data is also available in the chemical safety database. Same-CAS public records also appear in pharmaceutical data.
View industrial chemical safety profile for CAS 83-72-7 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Function
Hair dyeing (non-oxidizing hair colorant); historically proposed at up to 1.5% in finished products
Safety Rating
MODERATE
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
4-hydroxynaphthalene-1,2-dione
InChIKey
WVCHIGAIXREVNS-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
prohibited
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Not specifically prohibited by FDA; however, coal tar hair dye exemption does not apply. Use requires safety substantiation under FD&C Act.
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Lawsone.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Lawsone.
Regulatory Flags
colorant
Dermal Absorption
View details ->| Absorption % | Method | Vehicle |
|---|---|---|
| 4.08% | SCCS opinion extraction | - |
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
LAWSONE
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL240963
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lawsone allowed in the EU?
Lawsone EU regulatory status: prohibited. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Lawsone do in cosmetics?
Lawsone functions as: Hair dyeing (non-oxidizing hair colorant); historically proposed at up to 1.5% in finished products. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 83-72-7.
Is Lawsone used outside cosmetics?
Lawsone also appears in pharmaceutical data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.
Compliance Tools
Check Lawsone compliance across multiple jurisdictions:
Ingredient Decoder
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82 Allergen Checker
Check for EU declarable fragrance allergens
Substance Compliance
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MoS Calculator
Calculate Margin of Safety using SCCS methodology
Heavy Metal Limits
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Is Lawsone in Your Products?
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