EXCELLENT Emulsifier Dermal Penetration

Phosphatidylcholine

Also known as: Lecithins, Soybean lecithin, Acti-flow 68-sb, EINECS 232-307-2, Emulthin M-35 (+3 more)

INCI: PHOSPHATIDYLCHOLINE

Phosphatidylcholine (CAS 8002-43-5) is a cosmetic emulsifier functioning as Principal phospholipid emulsifier and bilayer-forming material for cosmetic. 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 food safety data.

View industrial chemical safety profile for CAS 8002-43-5 →

CAS Number

8002-43-5

View industrial chemical safety profile →

Function

Principal phospholipid emulsifier and bilayer-forming material for cosmetic delivery systems. Sourced from soybean, sunflower, or egg lecithin. Forms liposomal vesicles for delivery of hydrophilic actives (vitamin C, caffeine) and lipophilic actives (CoQ10, vitamins A/E). Commercial purity grades range from ≥45% PC (lecithin fractions) to ≥94% PC (high-purity PHOSPHOLIPON 90 G type). COSMOS-approved non-GMO sunflower variants available.

Editorial assessment

EXCELLENT

Preliminary editorial note — not a computed safety verdict.

Chemistry & Identifiers

EC Number

232-307-2

ChEBI: CHEBI:16110 Wikidata: Q241595

Regulatory Status

EU EU Status permitted

US US Status permitted

US Notes FDA GRAS for food use. CIR reviewed and safe. Sunflower PC preferred for non-GMO/COSMOS compliance. Biocompatible, biodegradable, and minimally immunogenic.

For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.

Safety Data

Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Phosphatidylcholine.

Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.

Dermal Penetration Profile

Skin absorption and penetration characteristics of Phosphatidylcholine, relevant to systemic exposure and MoS calculations.

Absorption %

5-12%

Penetration Level

stratum-corneum

Penetration Depth

stratum corneum/epidermis

Molecular Weight

758.1 Da

Log P

5.5

Systemic Absorption

minimal

Topical Bioavailability

3-10%

Safety Margin Factor

moderate

Vehicle Dependent

Yes — absorption varies by formulation

Source: J Liposome Res 2012

EPA ToxValDB — Toxicity Values

1 toxicity value from EPA ToxValDB (aggregated from CCTE, HPV, ToxRefDB, IRIS, and other regulatory dossiers).

Endpoint	Value	Species	Route	Duration	Source
NOAEL	=3750 mg/kg-day	Rat	oral	chronic	EFSA

Function Categories & List Membership

Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories

Anti-caking agent Anti-static agent Antioxidant Drier Emulsifier Flavouring and nutrient Fragrance Humectant Lubricating agent Pharmaceutical excipient

Regulatory List Membership (6)

EU Regulated in Personal Care EU Restricted for Children (Cosmetics) IFRA Fragrance Transparency List EPA Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL) FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS) Consumer Product Chemical

Editorial summary

Preliminary editorial summary for Phosphatidylcholine — not a computed safety verdict. See the sourced toxicological data above.

Regulatory Flags

emulsifier liposomal-delivery biocompatible biodegradable non-gmo-sunflower-preferred cosmos-eligible penetration-enhancer delivery-system eu_children_restricted epa_safer_alternative ifra_fragrance fda_food_additive

Known Synonyms

Lecithins Soybean lecithin Acti-flow 68-sb EINECS 232-307-2 Emulthin M-35 Ovovitellin Vitellin L-α-Phosphatidylcholine

Chemical Function

Softener and conditioner Humectant Anti-static agent Emulsifier

Regulatory Lists

active_ingredient; Europe; Pesticides inert_ingredient; Pesticides inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides IFRA Transparency SCIL (9/2019) consumer_product drinking_water; Europe; manufacturing; plastic_additive active_ingredient; Pesticides active_ingredient; Pesticides active_ingredient; Pesticides active_ingredient; Pesticides active_ingredient; Pesticides active_ingredient; Pesticides active_ingredient; Pesticides active_ingredient; Pesticides active_ingredient; Pesticides active_ingredient; Europe; Pesticides Europe; Personal care

Australian Status

AICIS status: listed

Cross-Vertical Safety Context

Same-CAS public records found in food safety data.

SOURCE EFSA / FDA GRAS food_additives

Food Safety Data

Same-CAS food additive or FDA GRAS records from the core public database.

Food Name

Lecithin

E Number

E322

ADI

NOT LIMITED mg/kg bw

Food Category

preservative

View full food safety profile →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Phosphatidylcholine safe in cosmetics?

Phosphatidylcholine has a safety rating of "EXCELLENT" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.

Is Phosphatidylcholine allowed in the EU?

Phosphatidylcholine EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.

What does Phosphatidylcholine do in cosmetics?

Phosphatidylcholine functions as: Principal phospholipid emulsifier and bilayer-forming material for cosmetic delivery systems. Sourced from soybean, sunflower, or egg lecithin. Forms liposomal vesicles for delivery of hydrophilic actives (vitamin C, caffeine) and lipophilic actives (CoQ10, vitamins A/E). Commercial purity grades range from ≥45% PC (lecithin fractions) to ≥94% PC (high-purity PHOSPHOLIPON 90 G type). COSMOS-approved non-GMO sunflower variants available.. It is classified as a Emulsifier in our database. CAS number: 8002-43-5.

Is Phosphatidylcholine used outside cosmetics?

Phosphatidylcholine also appears in industrial chemical safety and food safety data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.

Compliance Tools

Check Phosphatidylcholine 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

Related Ingredients

Cetearyl Glucoside

EXCELLENT Same category

emulsifier

Cetearyl Olivate

EXCELLENT Same category

emulsifier

Glyceryl Stearate

EXCELLENT Same category

emulsifier

Glyceryl Stearate Citrate

EXCELLENT Same category

emulsifier

Hydrogenated Lecithin

EXCELLENT Same category

emulsifier

Lecithin

EXCELLENT Same category

Complex phospholipid mixture (princip...

1-Methylhydantoin-2-imide (Creatinine)

EXCELLENT Similar safety

Skin conditioning (skin brightening/l...

2,6-Dimethyl-7-octen-2-ol (Dihydromyrcenol)

EXCELLENT Similar safety

Fragrance (perfuming), masking

2-Ethoxy-2,6,6-Trimethyl-9-Methylenebicyclo[3.3.1]Nonane (Boisiris™)

EXCELLENT Similar safety

Fragrance (rich woody, orris/iris roo...

2-Hydroxypropylcarbamato Amodimethicone

EXCELLENT Similar safety

Hair conditioning; modified aminosili...

2-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid

EXCELLENT Similar safety

Softener and conditioner

3 O Ethyl Ascorbic Acid

EXCELLENT Similar safety

Antioxidant; tyrosinase inhibitor; me...

Arachis Hypogaea Oil

EXCELLENT Chemical family

Emollient; Solvent; Skin Conditioning

Azadirachta Indica Seed Oil

MODERATE Chemical family

Skin conditioning

Brassica Campestris (Rapeseed) Seed Oil

EXCELLENT Chemical family

Emollient, Skin Conditioning, Fragrance

Browse all 30,000+ ingredients A-Z →

Is Phosphatidylcholine in Your Products?

Scan any product label with Piro — our free ingredient scanner. Point your camera at the ingredients list and get instant safety scores for every ingredient.

Try Piro Free →

Analyze Your Full Ingredient List

Paste any INCI list into the Decoder for instant safety analysis, or calculate the Margin of Safety for Phosphatidylcholine in your formulation.

Ingredient Decoder MoS Calculator