Is Propylene Carbonate safe in cosmetics?
Propylene Carbonate has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
GOOD
Cosmetic Ingredient
Propylene Carbonate
Also known as: 1,3-Dioxolan-2-one, 4-methyl-, 5-19-04-00021, BRN 0107913, Carbonic acid, cyclic propylene ether, Dipropylene carbonate (+4 more)
INCI: PROPYLENE CARBONATE
Propylene Carbonate (CAS 108-32-7) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Solvent, Viscosity-decreasing agent. NOAEL 5000 mg/kg bw/day (cross-referenced against ToxValDB ECHA IUCLID); 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 pharmaceutical data.
Function
Solvent, Viscosity-decreasing agent
Editorial assessment
GOOD
Preliminary editorial note — not a computed safety verdict.
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
4-methyl-1,3-dioxolan-2-one
InChIKey
RUOJZAUFBMNUDX-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Permitted; FDA-approved inactive ingredient in topical drugs (max 3000 mg/day); 13,340 formulations listed in 2024 RLD
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Propylene Carbonate.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Pre-Calculated Safety Assessment
Pre-calculated NOAEL → SED → MoS audit trail for Propylene Carbonate across SCCS product categories, with measured dermal absorption where available.
EU CLP Annex VI Harmonized Classification
Legally binding harmonized classification per Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 (CLP) Annex VI.
Signal Word
Warning
Pictograms
Harmful / Irritant
Hazard Class and Category
Eye Irrit. 2
Hazard Statements
- H319 Causes serious eye irritation
Inserted via ATP: CLP00
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
10,000 - 100,000 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE; GROUP
SVHC Candidate
No
Hazard classification: Restricted (Annex XVII)
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (1)
Skin Eye Respiratory Irritation
A human skin irritant. An eye irritant.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Catalyst
Filler
Fragrance
Solubility enhancer
Solvent
Thickening agent
Viscosity modifier
Regulatory List Membership (3)
IFRA Fragrance Transparency List
EPA Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL)
FDA Indirect Food Contact Additives
Editorial summary
Preliminary editorial summary for Propylene Carbonate — not a computed safety verdict. See the sourced toxicological data above.
Regulatory Flags
epa_safer_alternative
ifra_fragrance
NOAEL Studies Summary
View details ->Public NOAEL study rows linked to Propylene Carbonate by CAS number or substance name.
Studies
9
Lowest NOAEL
52 mg/kg bw/day
Highest NOAEL
1.040e+4 mg/kg bw/day
ECHA
Known Synonyms
1,3-Dioxolan-2-one, 4-methyl-
5-19-04-00021
BRN 0107913
Carbonic acid, cyclic propylene ether
Dipropylene carbonate
EINECS 203-572-1
4-Methyldioxalone-2
Propylenester kyseliny uhlicite
UNII-8D08K3S51E
Chemical Function
Solubility enhancer
Solvent
Viscosity modifier
Fragrance
Regulatory Lists
IFRA Transparency
inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides
CEDI
Indirect additives food contact (10/2018)
Cleaning products and household care - oven - oven cleaner; Europe
SCIL (9/2019)
Australian Status
AICIS status: listed
Cross-Vertical Safety Context
Same-CAS public records found in pharmaceutical data.
SOURCE
ChEMBL / DrugCentral / FAERS
DB_PHARMA CAS match
Pharmaceutical Data
Same-CAS rows from the pharmaceutical spoke database.
Compound
PROPYLENE CARBONATE
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL1733973
Max Phase
-1
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Propylene Carbonate allowed in the EU?
Propylene Carbonate EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Propylene Carbonate do in cosmetics?
Propylene Carbonate functions as: Solvent, Viscosity-decreasing agent. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 108-32-7.
Is Propylene Carbonate used outside cosmetics?
Propylene Carbonate also appears in industrial chemical safety and pharmaceutical data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.
Compliance Tools
Check Propylene Carbonate 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
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