Is p-Anisic Acid safe in cosmetics?
p-Anisic Acid has a safety rating of "EXCELLENT" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
EXCELLENT
Preservative
p-Anisic Acid
Also known as: Benzoic acid, 4-methoxy-, Dermosoft 688, 4-Acetylanisole, 4-10-00-00346, Anisic acid, p-isomer (+7 more)
INCI: P-ANISIC ACID
p-Anisic Acid (CAS 100-09-4) is a cosmetic preservative functioning as preservative, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory. NOAEL 20 mg/kg bw/day (cross-referenced against ToxValDB ECHA IUCLID); 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 pharmaceutical data.
Function
preservative, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory
Editorial assessment
EXCELLENT
Preliminary editorial note — not a computed safety verdict.
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
4-methoxybenzoic acid
InChIKey
ZEYHEAKUIGZSGI-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
No restrictions; marketed as natural-origin preservative booster
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for p-Anisic Acid.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Pre-Calculated Safety Assessment
Pre-calculated NOAEL → SED → MoS audit trail for p-Anisic Acid across SCCS product categories, with measured dermal absorption where available.
Endocrine Disruptor Evidence (Expanded)
Cross-referenced EDC classifications, mechanism data, and dose-response evidence from EDLists, SIN List, and cosmetic-specific detail sources.
Cosmetic-Specific Mechanism
Category: UV filter
Receptor targets: ERα (limited)
LOEC: 10 µM
EU status: allowed
weak modulator
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
10 - 100 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (1)
Endocrine Disruptors
Potential endocrine disrupting compound
Source: NORMAN Suspect List Exchange
Regulatory (6)
JECFA Number
883
Source: WHO/JECFA
JECFA Evaluation
4-METHOXYBENZOIC ACID | 2001 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 909-JECFA 57/84 | FAS 48-JECFA 57/273
Source: WHO/JECFA
JECFA Evaluation
p-METHOXYBENZOIC ACID | 2001 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 909-JECFA 57/84 | FAS 48-JECFA 57/273
Source: WHO/JECFA
JECFA Evaluation
ANISIC ACID | 2001 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 909-JECFA 57/84 | FAS 48-JECFA 57/273
Source: WHO/JECFA
JECFA Evaluation
DRACONIC ACID | 2001 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 909-JECFA 57/84 | FAS 48-JECFA 57/273
Source: WHO/JECFA
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Deodorizer
Flavouring and nutrient
Fragrance
Regulatory List Membership (3)
EU Regulated in Personal Care
IFRA Fragrance Transparency List
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Editorial summary
Preliminary editorial summary for p-Anisic Acid — not a computed safety verdict. See the sourced toxicological data above.
Regulatory Flags
botanical
preservative-booster
antioxidant
anti-inflammatory
ph-dependent
paraben-free
clean-beauty
challenge-test-pass
ifra_fragrance
fda_food_additive
NOAEL Studies Summary
View details ->Public NOAEL study rows linked to p-Anisic Acid by CAS number or substance name.
Studies
6
Lowest NOAEL
20 mg/kg bw/day
Highest NOAEL
500 mg/kg bw/day
ECHA
Known Synonyms
Benzoic acid, 4-methoxy-
Dermosoft 688
4-Acetylanisole
4-10-00-00346
Anisic acid, p-isomer
ANISIC ACID, PARA
BRN 0508910
EINECS 202-818-5
Kyselina 4-methoxybenzoova
UNII-4SB6Y7DMM3
4-Methoxybenzoate
p-Methoxybenzoate
Chemical Function
Deodorizer
Flavouring and nutrient
Fragrance
Regulatory Lists
IFRA Transparency
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
Europe; Personal care
Europe; Personal care
Europe
Canada; pharmaceutical
Australian Status
AICIS status: listed
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
p-ANISIC ACID
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL21932
Frequently Asked Questions
Is p-Anisic Acid allowed in the EU?
p-Anisic Acid EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does p-Anisic Acid do in cosmetics?
p-Anisic Acid functions as: preservative, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory. It is classified as a Preservative in our database. CAS number: 100-09-4.
Is p-Anisic Acid used outside cosmetics?
p-Anisic Acid 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.
Compliance Tools
Check p-Anisic Acid 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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