Is Phenyl Mercuric Borate safe in cosmetics?
Phenyl Mercuric Borate has a safety rating of "POOR" in our database. EU status: prohibited. US status: prohibited.
Poor
Cosmetic Ingredient
Phenyl Mercuric Borate
Also known as: Mercurate(2-), [orthoborato(3-)-κO]phenyl-, hydrogen (1:2), Mercurate(2-), [orthoborato(3-)-κO]phenyl-, dihydrogen, Boric acid (H3BO3), mercury complex, Merfen, PMB (+15 more)
INCI: PHENYL MERCURIC BORATE
Phenyl Mercuric Borate (CAS 102-98-7) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Preservative (mercury-based). 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 data.
View industrial chemical safety profile for CAS 102-98-7 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Phenyl Mercuric Borate is prohibited in EU cosmetics but has active industrial GHS classifications (H300, H310, H330, H373, H400, H410).
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu_status; Chemicals: ghs_classifications.signal_word/hazard_statement_code
Function
Preservative (mercury-based)
Safety Rating
POOR
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
boronooxy(phenyl)mercury
InChIKey
VUXSPDNLYQTOSY-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
prohibited
US US Status
prohibited
US Notes
21 CFR 700.13 — mercury-based preservatives subject to restrictions
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Phenyl Mercuric Borate.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (1)
Carcinogen Classification
No indication of carcinogenicity (not listed by IARC). (L135)
Source: Toxin and Toxin Target Database (T3DB)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Preservative
pH regulating agent
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Phenyl Mercuric Borate.
Regulatory Flags
preservative
Known Synonyms
Mercurate(2-), [orthoborato(3-)-κO]phenyl-, hydrogen (1:2)
Mercurate(2-), [orthoborato(3-)-κO]phenyl-, dihydrogen
Boric acid (H3BO3), mercury complex
Merfen
PMB
Phenylmercuriborate
Ryfen
Spidox
Caswell No. 656C
EINECS 203-068-1
EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 066005
Exomycol gel
Famosept
Fenosept
Formasept
Mercurate(2-), (orthoborato(3-)-O)phenyl-, dihydrogen
Mercury, (dihydrogen borato)phenyl-
Mercury, (orthoborato(1-)-O)phenyl-
Merphen
Metasol BT
Chemical Function
Preservative
pH regulating agent
Regulatory Lists
Canada; Personal care; Substances in PCP - Canada (4/2014)
Australian Status
AICIS status: listed
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phenyl Mercuric Borate allowed in the EU?
Phenyl Mercuric Borate EU regulatory status: prohibited. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Phenyl Mercuric Borate do in cosmetics?
Phenyl Mercuric Borate functions as: Preservative (mercury-based). It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 102-98-7.
Is Phenyl Mercuric Borate used outside cosmetics?
Phenyl Mercuric Borate also appears in industrial chemical safety data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.
Does Phenyl Mercuric Borate have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Phenyl Mercuric Borate is prohibited in EU cosmetics but has active industrial GHS classifications (H300, H310, H330, H373, H400, H410).
Compliance Tools
Check Phenyl Mercuric Borate 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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