Is Phenoxyacetic Acid safe in cosmetics?
Phenoxyacetic Acid has a safety rating of "MODERATE" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: restricted.
MODERATE
Cosmetic Ingredient
Phenoxyacetic Acid
Also known as: POA, 4-06-00-00634, BRN 0907949, EINECS 204-556-7, FEMA No. 2872 (+9 more)
INCI: PHENOXYACETIC ACID
Phenoxyacetic Acid (CAS 122-59-8) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Fragrance ingredient; pH adjuster; preservative booster in some systems. 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, pharmaceutical, and food safety data.
Function
Fragrance ingredient; pH adjuster; preservative booster in some systems
Editorial assessment
MODERATE
Preliminary editorial note — not a computed safety verdict.
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
2-phenoxyacetic acid
InChIKey
LCPDWSOZIOUXRV-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
restricted
US Notes
Not specifically restricted by FDA
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Phenoxyacetic Acid.
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 | 1350 | - | - |
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Regulatory (5)
JECFA Number
1026
Source: WHO/JECFA
JECFA Evaluation
GLYCOLIC ACID PHENYL ETHER | 2002 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 913-JECFA 59/53 | FAS 50-JECFA 59/215
Source: WHO/JECFA
JECFA Evaluation
o-PHENYLGLYCOLIC ACID | 2002 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 913-JECFA 59/53 | FAS 50-JECFA 59/215
Source: WHO/JECFA
JECFA Evaluation
PHENOXYACETIC ACID | 2002 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 913-JECFA 59/53 | FAS 50-JECFA 59/215
Source: WHO/JECFA
JECFA Evaluation
PHENOXYETHANOIC ACID | 2002 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 913-JECFA 59/53 | FAS 50-JECFA 59/215
Source: WHO/JECFA
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Flavouring and nutrient
Fragrance
Regulatory List Membership (1)
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Editorial summary
Preliminary editorial summary for Phenoxyacetic Acid — not a computed safety verdict. See the sourced toxicological data above.
Regulatory Flags
fragrance-component
preservative
fda_food_additive
jecfa_safe
Known Synonyms
POA
4-06-00-00634
BRN 0907949
EINECS 204-556-7
FEMA No. 2872
Glycollic acid phenyl ether
o-Phenylglycolic acid
Phenylglycolic acid, O-
UNII-YRC253429Q
Phenyl ether glycolic acid
2-phenoxyethanoic acid
Glycol acid phenyl ether
Phenoxyacetate
phenoxacetic acid
Chemical Function
Fragrance
Flavouring and nutrient
Regulatory Lists
Europe
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
Australian Status
AICIS status: listed
Cross-Vertical Safety Context
Same-CAS public records found in pharmaceutical and food safety data.
SOURCE
ChEMBL / DrugCentral / FAERS
DB_PHARMA CAS match
Pharmaceutical Data
Same-CAS rows from the pharmaceutical spoke database.
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL173521
SOURCE
EFSA / FDA GRAS
food_additives
Food Safety Data
Same-CAS food additive or FDA GRAS records from the core public database.
Food Name
PHENOXYACETIC ACID
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 Phenoxyacetic Acid allowed in the EU?
Phenoxyacetic Acid EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Phenoxyacetic Acid do in cosmetics?
Phenoxyacetic Acid functions as: Fragrance ingredient; pH adjuster; preservative booster in some systems. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 122-59-8.
Is Phenoxyacetic Acid used outside cosmetics?
Phenoxyacetic Acid also appears in industrial chemical safety, pharmaceutical, and food safety data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.
Compliance Tools
Check Phenoxyacetic Acid compliance across multiple jurisdictions:
Ingredient Decoder
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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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