Is Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid safe in cosmetics?
Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid has a safety rating of "MODERATE" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
Moderate
Antioxidant
Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid
INCI: NORDIHYDROGUAIARETIC ACID
Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid (CAS 500-38-9) is a cosmetic antioxidant functioning as Antioxidant, Sebum Control, Photoprotective Agent. 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 data.
View industrial chemical safety profile for CAS 500-38-9 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Function
Antioxidant, Sebum Control, Photoprotective Agent
Safety Rating
MODERATE
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
4-[4-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-2,3-dimethylbutyl]benzene-1,2-diol
InChIKey
HCZKYJDFEPMADG-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Former GRAS status for food use withdrawn by FDA due to nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity in animal studies. No specific FDA restriction on cosmetic use.
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Additional Ingredient Properties
1 property record from structured ingredient metadata.
solubility_hlb
{"water_soluble": "no", "oil_soluble": "yes", "soluble_in": "oils, ethanol", "insoluble_in": "water, glycerin, propylene glycol", "log_p": "4.2", "melting_point_c": "184-185", "appearance": "white to cream powder", "source": "Cayman Chemical"}
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)
Endocrine Disruptors
Potential endocrine disrupting compound
Source: NORMAN Suspect List Exchange
Regulatory (1)
JECFA Evaluation
NORDIHYDROGUAIARETIC ACID | 1973 | NO ADI ALLOCATED | NMRS 53/TRS 539-JECFA 17/36 | FAS 5/NMRS 53A-JECFA 17/197
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Antioxidant
Regulatory List Membership (1)
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid.
Regulatory Flags
endocrine_disruptor
fda_food_additive
jecfa_concern
Chemical Function
Antioxidant
Regulatory Lists
Canada; Personal care; Substances in PCP - Canada (4/2014)
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
Australian Status
AICIS status: listed
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid allowed in the EU?
Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid do in cosmetics?
Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid functions as: Antioxidant, Sebum Control, Photoprotective Agent. It is classified as a Antioxidant in our database. CAS number: 500-38-9.
Is Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid used outside cosmetics?
Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid also appears in industrial chemical safety data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.
Compliance Tools
Check Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid 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
Calculate Margin of Safety using SCCS methodology
Heavy Metal Limits
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