Is Prasterone (DHEA) safe in cosmetics?
Prasterone (DHEA) has a safety rating of "POOR" in our database. EU status: prohibited. US status: restricted.
POOR
Cosmetic Ingredient
Prasterone (DHEA)
Also known as: DHEA, 5,6-Didehydroisoandrosterone, 4-08-00-00994, BRN 2058110, Caswell No. 051F (+13 more)
INCI: PRASTERONE
Prasterone (DHEA) (CAS 53-43-0) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Skin conditioning agent (hormonal — dehydroepiandrosterone/DHEA). 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, pharmaceutical, and food safety data.
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Prasterone (DHEA) is prohibited in EU cosmetics but has active industrial GHS classifications (H302, H312, H315, H319, H332, H335, H351, H360).
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu status; Chemicals: ghs classifications.signal word/hazard statement code
Function
Skin conditioning agent (hormonal — dehydroepiandrosterone/DHEA)
Editorial assessment
POOR
Preliminary editorial note — not a computed safety verdict.
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
(3S,8R,9S,10R,13S,14S)-3-hydroxy-10,13-dimethyl-1,2,3,4,7,8,9,11,12,14,15,16-dodecahydrocyclopenta[a]phenanthren-17-one
InChIKey
FMGSKLZLMKYGDP-USOAJAOKSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
prohibited
US US Status
restricted
US Notes
Available as a dietary supplement (DSHEA); as a topical, classified as a drug (Intrarosa vaginal); cosmetic use is a regulatory gray area — FDA considers hormonal claims drug claims
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Prasterone (DHEA).
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Intermediate
Tonnage Band
Intermediate use only
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
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Pharmaceutical
Softener and conditioner
Editorial summary
Preliminary editorial summary for Prasterone (DHEA) — not a computed safety verdict. See the sourced toxicological data above.
Known Synonyms
DHEA
5,6-Didehydroisoandrosterone
4-08-00-00994
BRN 2058110
Caswell No. 051F
5,6-Dehydroisoandrostorone
EINECS 200-175-5
EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 126510
Epiandrosterone, 5-dehydro-
UNII-459AG36T1B
Gynodian
(+)-Dehydroisoandrosterone
(2R,5S,15S)-5-hydroxy-2,15-dimethyltetracyclo[8.7.0.02,7.011,15]heptadec-7-en-14-one
(3-beta)-3-Hydroxyandrost-5-en-17-one
(3beta)-3-hydroxy-Androst-5-en-17-one
(3beta,16alpha)-3,16-dihydroxy-androst-5-en-17-one
3-beta-Hydroxy-5-androsten-17-one
3-beta-Hydroxyandrost-5-en-17-one
Chemical Function
Softener and conditioner
Pharmaceutical
Regulatory Lists
Canada; consumer_product; Substances in Products - Canada (4/2014)
Canada; consumer_product; Substances in Products - Canada (4/2014)
pharmaceutical
Canada; pharmaceutical
Canada; pharmaceutical
Canada; pharmaceutical
pharmaceutical; prohibited
pharmaceutical; prohibited
pharmaceutical
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.
Compound
PRASTERONE
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL90593
Max Phase
4
Adverse Event Associations
832
SOURCE
EFSA / FDA GRAS
food_additives
Food Safety Data
Same-CAS food additive or FDA GRAS records from the core public database.
Food Name
DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone)
Food Category
sports_nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Prasterone (DHEA) allowed in the EU?
Prasterone (DHEA) EU regulatory status: prohibited. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Prasterone (DHEA) do in cosmetics?
Prasterone (DHEA) functions as: Skin conditioning agent (hormonal — dehydroepiandrosterone/DHEA). It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 53-43-0.
Is Prasterone (DHEA) used outside cosmetics?
Prasterone (DHEA) 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.
Does Prasterone (DHEA) have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Prasterone (DHEA) is prohibited in EU cosmetics but has active industrial GHS classifications (H302, H312, H315, H319, H332, H335, H351, H360).
Compliance Tools
Check Prasterone (DHEA) 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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NAD+ Cosmetic
MODERATE
Chemical family
Skin Conditioning
NICOTINAMIDE ADENINE DINUCLEOTIDE
GOOD
Chemical family
Skin Conditioning
PRASTERONE
MODERATE
Chemical family
Skin Conditioning
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