Also known as: n-Butanol, Butyric alcohol, Butyric or normal primary butyl alcohol, EINECS 200-751-6, FEMA No. 2178 (+14 more)
N-BUTYL ALCOHOL (CAS 71-36-3) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Denaturant, Perfuming, Solvent. NOAEL 125 mg/kg bw/day (cross-referenced against ToxValDB ECHA IUCLID); EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: permitted; GHS signal word DANGER. Industrial safety data is also available in the chemical safety database. Same-CAS public records also appear in industrial chemical safety and pharmaceutical data.
US NotesAllowed; CIR Expert Panel concluded it is safe in the practices of use and concentration in cosmetics, initially for nail care (1987) and later expanded to all product categories at reported use levels
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Toxicological Studies
1 study endpoint found for N-BUTYL ALCOHOL. 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
300 mg/kg bw/day
oral
rat
Developmental
COSMOS DB
GHS Hazard Classification
Globally Harmonized System classification per ECHA C&L inventory and ILO/WHO International Chemical Safety Cards.
Signal Word
DANGER
Pictograms
FlamFlameCorrExcl markWarnCancerHealth haz
Hazard Statements
Flammable liquid and vapour Harmful if swallowed Causes skin irritation Causes serious eye damage May cause respiratory irritation May cause drowsiness or dizziness May be harmful if swallowed and enters airways
Short-term Exposure Effects
The substance is corrosive to the eyes. The substance is irritating to the skin. Exposure far above the OEL could cause lowering of consciousness. If swallowed the substance easily enters the airways and could result in aspiration pneumonitis.
Long-term Exposure Effects
The substance defats the skin, which may cause dryness or cracking.
Routes of Exposure
The substance can be absorbed into the body by inhalation of its vapour and by ingestion.
Safety Opinions
Official safety assessments from the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) and Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR).
CIR Safety Assessment
Verdict: unknown
Pre-Calculated Safety Assessment
Pre-calculated NOAEL → SED → MoS audit trail for N-BUTYL ALCOHOL across SCCS product categories, with measured dermal absorption where available.
EPA ToxValDB — Toxicity Values
10 toxicity values from EPA ToxValDB (aggregated from CCTE, HPV, ToxRefDB, IRIS, and other regulatory dossiers).
Endpoint
Value
Species
Route
Duration
Source
LEL
=42442.8 mg/m3
Human
inhalation
-
DOE Protective Action Criteria
LOEL
=5 %
Rat
oral
short-term
ECOTOX
LOEL
=1 %
Rat
oral
short-term
ECOTOX
NOEL
=1 %
Rat
oral
short-term
ECOTOX
NOEL
=5 %
Rat
oral
short-term
ECOTOX
NOEL
=0.2 %
Rat
oral
short-term
ECOTOX
LOEL
=500 mg/kg-day
Rat
oral
chronic
ECOTOX
LOEL
=500 mg/kg-day
Rat
oral
chronic
ECOTOX
NOEL
=125 mg/kg-day
Rat
oral
chronic
ECOTOX
NOEL
=500 mg/kg-day
Rat
oral
chronic
ECOTOX
EU CLP Annex VI Harmonized Classification
Legally binding harmonized classification per Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 (CLP) Annex VI.
Signal Word
Danger
Pictograms
FlammableHarmful / IrritantCorrosive
Hazard Class and Category
Flam. Liq. 3; Acute Tox. 4 *; STOT SE 3; STOT SE 3; Skin Irrit. 2; Eye Dam. 1
Hazard Statements
H226Flammable liquid and vapour
H302Harmful if swallowed
H335May cause respiratory irritation
H336May cause drowsiness or dizziness
H315Causes skin irritation
H318Causes serious eye damage
Inserted via ATP: CLP00
Sensitization AOP Dashboard
Adverse Outcome Pathway data across 5 assays (DPRA, KeratinoSens, hCLAT, LLNA, NESIL) aggregated from public sources.
DPRA Cys %
0.55%
DPRA Lys %
0%
KeratinoSens IC50
2000 µM
hCLAT CV75
1321.4 µg/mL
LLNA EC3
20%
NESIL
5000 µg/cm²
LLNA: Weak (1B)GHS: 1B
Source: LLNA: Gerberick et al. (2005); DPRA: Bauch et al. 2012 [DOI:10.1016/j.yrtph.2012.05.013] | Gerberick et al. 2004 [DOI:10.1093/toxsci/kfh213]; KS: Bauch et al. 2012 [DOI:10.1016/j.yrtph.2012.05.013] | Urbisch et al. 2015 [DOI:10.1016/j.yrtph.2014.12.008]; hCLAT: Ashikaga et al. 2010 [DOI:10.1177/026119291003800403] | Bauch et al. 2012 [DOI:10.1016/j.yrtph.2012.05.013]
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
100,000 - 1,000,000 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
Hazard classification:Restricted (Annex XVII)
Expanded Dermal Absorption Data
Cross-database dermal penetration: EPA Dryad physics-based, Roberts Mendeley permeation, and SCCS-aggregated measured values.
EPA Dryad Skin Absorption (physics-based)
MW:74.123
LogP:0.879541
Kp epidermis:0.99647 cm/h
Source: EPA Dryad Skin Absorption 2024
Roberts Skin Permeation (Mendeley 2022)
MW:74.1
Log Kow:0.88
Log Kp:-2.5228787452803374
Log Jmax:-5.59
Source: Roberts Cheruvu Mendeley 2022
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (3)
Evidence for Carcinogenicity
CLASSIFICATION: D; not classifiable as to human carcinogenicity. BASIS FOR CLASSIFICATION: Based on no human and no animal cancer data. HUMAN CARCINOGENICITY DATA: None. ANIMAL CARCINOGENICITY DATA: None.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
ICSC Safety Card
0111
Source: WHO/JECFA
Skin Eye Respiratory Irritation
Potential symptoms of overexposure are irritation of eyes, nose, and throat. ... | Vapor: Irritating to eyes, nose and throat; ... Liquid: Irritating to skin and eyes.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Regulatory (2)
JECFA Number
85
Source: WHO/JECFA
JECFA Evaluation
BUTAN-1-OL | 2023 | Not evaluated | JECFA considered that the use of acetaldehyde (No. 80) as a structural analogue in the safety assessment of flavouring substances would require further evaluation. Furthermore, JECFA concluded that the use of acetaldehyde (No. 80) as a flavouring agent requires re-evaluation. JECFA requests that updated exposure data (including both MSDI and SPET values) be prov
Source: WHO/JECFA
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Flavouring and nutrientFragrancePlasticizerSolvent
Regulatory List Membership (3)
IFRA Fragrance Transparency ListFDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)Consumer Product Chemical
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for N-BUTYL ALCOHOL.
Public NOAEL study rows linked to N-BUTYL ALCOHOL by CAS number or substance name.
Studies
1
Lowest NOAEL
300 mg/kg bw/day
Highest NOAEL
300 mg/kg bw/day
COSMOS DB
Known Synonyms
n-ButanolButyric alcoholButyric or normal primary butyl alcoholEINECS 200-751-6FEMA No. 2178FEMA Number 2178Normal primary butyl alcoholPropylmethanolRCRA waste number U031Alcool butyliqueButanolenButanoloButylowy alkoholUNII-8PJ61P6TS31-hydroxybutaneBuOHbutan-1-oln-Butylalkoholn-butan-1-ol
Chemical Function
SolventFragranceFlavouring and nutrient
Regulatory Lists
inert_ingredient; Pesticidesinert_ingredient; non_food_use; PesticidesArts and crafts/Office supplies - fabric treatment and dye; Arts and crafts/Office supplies - home office - pens and markers; detectedair; Arts and crafts/Office supplies - fabric treatment and dye; Arts and crafts/Office supplies - home office - pens and markers; detected; emissions; EuropeArts and crafts/Office supplies - fabric treatment and dye; Arts and crafts/Office supplies - home office - pens and markers; detected; Europeartificial_saliva; detected; emissions; Europe; Toys and children's productsconsumer_product; detected; Europeconsumer_product; detected; Europeair; detected; emissions; Europe; Vehicle - car interiorair; detected; emissions; Europe; Vehicle - car interiordetected; Europe; Vehicle - car interiorair; detected; emissions; Europe; Vehicle - car interiorair; detected; emissions; Europe; Other direct contact consumer goodsair; detected; emissions; Europe; Other direct contact consumer goodsair; emissions; Europe; nondetect; Other direct contact consumer goodsair; detected; emissions; Europe; Toys and children's productsAustralia; Food and drug - smoking-related productsdetected; drinking_water; MN Chemical Screening
Cross-Vertical Safety Context
Same-CAS public records found in pharmaceutical data.
SOURCEChEMBL / DrugCentral / FAERSDB_PHARMA CAS match
Pharmaceutical Data
Same-CAS rows from the pharmaceutical spoke database.
N-BUTYL ALCOHOL has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: allowed. 1 toxicological study endpoint(s) are available in our database. This ingredient has been reviewed by CIR Safety Assessment.
Is N-BUTYL ALCOHOL allowed in the EU?
N-BUTYL ALCOHOL EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does N-BUTYL ALCOHOL do in cosmetics?
N-BUTYL ALCOHOL functions as: Denaturant, Perfuming, Solvent. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 71-36-3.
What is the NOAEL for N-BUTYL ALCOHOL?
The NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect Level) for N-BUTYL ALCOHOL is 300 mg/kg bw/day based on a Developmental study via oral route in rat. Source: COSMOS DB.
Is N-BUTYL ALCOHOL classified as hazardous under GHS?
N-BUTYL ALCOHOL carries a GHS signal word of "DANGER". Hazard statements: Flammable liquid and vapour Harmful if swallowed Causes skin irritation Causes serious eye damage May cause respiratory irritation May cause drowsiness or dizziness May be harmful if swallowed and enters airways. This classification is based on the ILO/WHO International Chemical Safety Card and ECHA C&L inventory data. Note: GHS classification applies to the pure substance — at cosmetic use concentrations, hazard thresholds may not be met.
Is N-BUTYL ALCOHOL used outside cosmetics?
N-BUTYL ALCOHOL 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.
Does N-BUTYL ALCOHOL have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
N-BUTYL ALCOHOL is classified GHS Danger (H226, H302, H315, H318, H335, H336, H319, H372) in the chemicals database but is allowed in EU cosmetics.
Compliance Tools
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