EXCELLENT Emulsifier Dermal Penetration

Lecithin

Also known as: Lecithins, Soybean lecithin, Acti-flow 68-sb, EINECS 232-307-2, Emulthin M-35 (+4 more)

INCI: LECITHIN

Lecithin (CAS 8002-43-5) is a cosmetic emulsifier functioning as Complex phospholipid mixture (principally phosphatidylcholine, PC) from. 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 food safety data.

View industrial chemical safety profile for CAS 8002-43-5 →

CAS Number

8002-43-5

View industrial chemical safety profile →

Function

Complex phospholipid mixture (principally phosphatidylcholine, PC) from soybean, sunflower, or egg sources. Functions as natural emulsifier, skin-conditioning agent, penetration enhancer, and liposomal bilayer-forming material. Commercial grades range from ≥45% PC (lecithin fractions) to ≥94% PC (high-purity fractions). COSMOS-approved non-GMO sunflower variants available. Platform for liposomal delivery of hydrophilic actives (vitamin C, caffeine) and lipophilic actives (CoQ10, vitamins A/E).

Editorial assessment

EXCELLENT

Preliminary editorial note — not a computed safety verdict.

Chemistry & Identifiers

EC Number

232-307-2

ChEBI: CHEBI:16110 Wikidata: Q241595

Regulatory Status

EU EU Status permitted

US US Status permitted

US Notes FDA GRAS under 21 CFR 184.1400 (direct food substance, no numerical limit). Listed in FDA Inactive Ingredients Database for topical, oral, injection, and other routes. CIR 2020 safety assessment covers lecithin and 16 other phosphoglycerides — safe as used in all cosmetic categories without concentration restriction. BSE/TSE: FDA prohibits bovine specified risk materials; verify source for animal-derived lecithin.

For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.

Safety Data

Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Lecithin.

Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.

Dermal Penetration Profile

Skin absorption and penetration characteristics of Lecithin, relevant to systemic exposure and MoS calculations.

Absorption %

4-10%

Penetration Level

stratum-corneum

Penetration Depth

stratum corneum/epidermis

Molecular Weight

Variable Da

Log P

n/a

Systemic Absorption

minimal

Topical Bioavailability

2-8%

Safety Margin Factor

low

Vehicle Dependent

Yes — absorption varies by formulation

Source: Eur J Pharm Biopharm 2007

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
NOAEL	=3750 mg/kg-day	Rat	oral	chronic	EFSA

Function Categories & List Membership

Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories

Anti-caking agent Anti-static agent Antioxidant Drier Emulsifier Flavouring and nutrient Fragrance Humectant Lubricating agent Pharmaceutical excipient

Regulatory List Membership (6)

EU Regulated in Personal Care 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 Lecithin — not a computed safety verdict. See the sourced toxicological data above.

Regulatory Flags

penetration-enhancer allergen-risk-soy allergen-risk-egg gmo-consideration cosmos-approved gras-fda liposomal-delivery eu_children_restricted epa_safer_alternative ifra_fragrance fda_food_additive jecfa_safe

Known Synonyms

Lecithins Soybean lecithin Acti-flow 68-sb EINECS 232-307-2 Emulthin M-35 Ovovitellin Phosphatidylcholine Vitellin L-α-Phosphatidylcholine

Chemical Function

Softener and conditioner Humectant Anti-static agent Emulsifier

Regulatory Lists

active_ingredient; Europe; Pesticides inert_ingredient; Pesticides inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides IFRA Transparency SCIL (9/2019) consumer_product drinking_water; Europe; manufacturing; plastic_additive active_ingredient; Pesticides active_ingredient; Pesticides active_ingredient; Pesticides active_ingredient; Pesticides active_ingredient; Pesticides active_ingredient; Pesticides active_ingredient; Pesticides active_ingredient; Pesticides active_ingredient; Pesticides active_ingredient; Europe; Pesticides Europe; Personal care

Australian Status

AICIS status: listed

Cross-Vertical Safety Context

Same-CAS public records found in food safety data.

SOURCE EFSA / FDA GRAS food_additives

Food Safety Data

Same-CAS food additive or FDA GRAS records from the core public database.

Food Name

Lecithin

E Number

E322

ADI

NOT LIMITED mg/kg bw

Food Category

preservative

View full food safety profile →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Lecithin safe in cosmetics?

Lecithin has a safety rating of "EXCELLENT" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.

Is Lecithin allowed in the EU?

Lecithin EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.

What does Lecithin do in cosmetics?

Lecithin functions as: Complex phospholipid mixture (principally phosphatidylcholine, PC) from soybean, sunflower, or egg sources. Functions as natural emulsifier, skin-conditioning agent, penetration enhancer, and liposomal bilayer-forming material. Commercial grades range from ≥45% PC (lecithin fractions) to ≥94% PC (high-purity fractions). COSMOS-approved non-GMO sunflower variants available. Platform for liposomal delivery of hydrophilic actives (vitamin C, caffeine) and lipophilic actives (CoQ10, vitamins A/E).. It is classified as a Emulsifier in our database. CAS number: 8002-43-5.

Is Lecithin used outside cosmetics?

Lecithin also appears in industrial chemical safety and food safety data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.

Compliance Tools

Check Lecithin compliance across multiple jurisdictions:

Ingredient Decoder

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82 Allergen Checker

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Substance Compliance

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MoS Calculator

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Heavy Metal Limits

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