Is Potassium Behenate safe in cosmetics?
Potassium Behenate has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
Good
Cosmetic Ingredient
Potassium Behenate
Also known as: Potassium tetradecanoate, Caswell No. 696A, EINECS 236-550-5, EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 079022, UNII-O38QT2542V
INCI: POTASSIUM BEHENATE
Potassium Behenate (CAS 13429-27-1) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Surfactant, cleansing agent, emulsifier, opacifying agent. EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: permitted. Industrial safety data is also available in the chemical safety database.
View industrial chemical safety profile for CAS 13429-27-1 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Function
Surfactant, cleansing agent, emulsifier, opacifying agent
Safety Rating
GOOD
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
potassium tetradecanoate
InChIKey
PYJBVGYZXWPIKK-UHFFFAOYSA-M
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
No specific restriction; behenic acid salts are broadly safe for 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 Potassium Behenate.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Regulatory (1)
JECFA Evaluation
POTASSIUM MYRISTATE | 1985 | NOT SPECIFIED | TRS 733-JECFA 29/15,23 | FAS 5/NMRS 53A-JECFA 17/19 (1973)
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Anti-caking agent
Emulsifier
Lubricating agent
Surfactant (surface active agent)
Regulatory List Membership (2)
EPA Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL)
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Potassium Behenate.
Regulatory Flags
epa_safer_alternative
fda_food_additive
Known Synonyms
Potassium tetradecanoate
Caswell No. 696A
EINECS 236-550-5
EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 079022
UNII-O38QT2542V
Chemical Function
Surfactant (surface active agent)
Emulsifier
Anti-caking agent
Lubricating agent
Regulatory Lists
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
SCIL (9/2019)
inert_ingredient; Pesticides
inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides
inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Potassium Behenate allowed in the EU?
Potassium Behenate EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Potassium Behenate do in cosmetics?
Potassium Behenate functions as: Surfactant, cleansing agent, emulsifier, opacifying agent. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 13429-27-1.
Compliance Tools
Check Potassium Behenate 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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