Is Methyl Butyrate safe in cosmetics?
Methyl Butyrate has a safety rating of "MODERATE" in our database. EU status: prohibited. US status: permitted.
Moderate
Cosmetic Ingredient
Methyl Butyrate
Also known as: 4-02-00-00786, BRN 1740743, EINECS 210-792-1, FEMA No. 2693, Methyl n-butanoate (+5 more)
INCI: METHYL BUTYRATE
Methyl Butyrate (CAS 623-42-7) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Fragrance / masking agent. EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: prohibited. 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 623-42-7 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Methyl Butyrate is prohibited in EU cosmetics but has active industrial GHS classifications (H225).
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu_status; Chemicals: ghs_classifications.signal_word/hazard_statement_code
Function
Fragrance / masking agent
Safety Rating
MODERATE
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
methyl butanoate
InChIKey
UUIQMZJEGPQKFD-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
prohibited
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Allowed - GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) for food use; no cosmetic prohibition
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Methyl Butyrate.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
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 | 5400 | - | - |
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Regulatory (2)
JECFA Number
149
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
JECFA Evaluation
METHYL BUTYRATE | 1997 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 884-JECFA 49/52 | FAS 40-JECFA 49/297
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Flavouring and nutrient
Fragrance
Regulatory List Membership (3)
IFRA Fragrance Transparency List
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Consumer Product Chemical
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Methyl Butyrate.
Regulatory Flags
fragrance-component
ifra_fragrance
fda_food_additive
jecfa_safe
Known Synonyms
4-02-00-00786
BRN 1740743
EINECS 210-792-1
FEMA No. 2693
Methyl n-butanoate
2-Methyl butyric acid
Methyl-n-butyrate
UNII-CGX598508O
Methyl ester of butanoic acid
N-Butyric acid methyl ester
Chemical Function
Fragrance
Flavouring and nutrient
Regulatory Lists
air; Cleaning products and household care - air freshener; detected; emissions
IFRA Transparency
Europe
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
consumer_product
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
METHYL BUTYRATE
ADI
No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent mg/kg bw
Food Category
flavoring
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Methyl Butyrate allowed in the EU?
Methyl Butyrate EU regulatory status: prohibited. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Methyl Butyrate do in cosmetics?
Methyl Butyrate functions as: Fragrance / masking agent. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 623-42-7.
Is Methyl Butyrate used outside cosmetics?
Methyl Butyrate 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.
Does Methyl Butyrate have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Methyl Butyrate is prohibited in EU cosmetics but has active industrial GHS classifications (H225).
Compliance Tools
Check Methyl Butyrate 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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