Excellent Cosmetic Ingredient NOAEL Data

Silica

INCI: SILICA

CAS Number
7631-86-9
Function
rheology modifier, thickener, anticaking agent, opacifier
Safety Rating
EXCELLENT

Regulatory Status

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ EU Status permitted
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ US Status permitted
US Notes FDA-approved inorganic. Widely used. GRAS for food. No concentration restriction in cosmetics.

For full compliance data across 55 jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.

Safety Data

Margin of Safety (MoS)
adequate
Dermal Absorption
negligible
Sensitization
none

Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.

Toxicological Studies

10 study endpoints found for Silica. NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect Level) values are used to calculate the Margin of Safety per SCCS methodology.

Endpoint Value Route Species Study Type Source
NOAEL 1600 mg/kg bw/day oral rabbit Developmental COSMOS_DB
NOAEL 1600 mg/kg bw/day oral hamster Developmental COSMOS_DB
NOAEL 1340 mg/kg bw/day oral mouse Developmental COSMOS_DB
NOAEL 1350 mg/kg bw/day oral rat Developmental COSMOS_DB
NOAEL 800 mg/kg bw/day oral dog Short Term Toxicity COSMOS_DB
NOAEL 5000 mg/kg bw/day oral rat Subchronic COSMOS_DB
NOAEL 1000 mg/kg bw/day oral rat Short Term Toxicity COSMOS_DB
NOAEL 500 mg/kg bw/day oral rat Chronic COSMOS_DB
NOAEL 100 mg/kg bw/day oral rat Carcinogenicity COSMOS_DB
NOAEL 500 mg/kg bw/day oral rat Reproductive COSMOS_DB

Expert Verdict

Amorphous fumed silica (pyrogenic) used as a rheology modifier and thickener in aqueous and oil matrices. Forms hydrogen-bonded particle networks delivering non-Newtonian, shear-thinning, thixotropic behavior with temperature-independent rheological effects. Non-crystalline structure presents no silicosis risk. Inorganic mineral exempt from EU REACH SPM restriction. Nano-grade products require EU nano labeling. Typical use level 1โ€“5%.

โš ๏ธ
Concern Level: None

Regulatory Flags

mineral-origin reach-spm-exempt inorganic cosmos-certified hydrophilic fumed-silica amorphous shear-thinning thixotropic temperature-independent thermal-stability color-cosmetics nano-label-required-if-nano aerosil-200 eu_children_restricted epa_safer_alternative ifra_fragrance fda_food_additive

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Silica safe in cosmetics?

Amorphous fumed silica (pyrogenic) used as a rheology modifier and thickener in aqueous and oil matrices. Forms hydrogen-bonded particle networks delivering non-Newtonian, shear-thinning, thixotropic behavior with temperature-independent rheological effects. Non-crystalline structure presents no silicosis risk. Inorganic mineral exempt from EU REACH SPM restriction. Nano-grade products require EU nano labeling. Typical use level 1โ€“5%. The EU classifies Silica as "permitted". Safety rating: EXCELLENT. 10 toxicological study endpoint(s) are available in our database.

Is Silica allowed in the EU?

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

What does Silica do in cosmetics?

Silica functions as: rheology modifier, thickener, anticaking agent, opacifier. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 7631-86-9.

What is the Margin of Safety for Silica?

adequate The Margin of Safety (MoS) is calculated using SCCS methodology. A MoS above 100 is generally considered safe. Use the MoS Calculator tool to calculate MoS for your specific formulation and product category.

What is the NOAEL for Silica?

The NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect Level) for Silica is 1600 mg/kg bw/day based on a Developmental study via oral route in rabbit. A total of 10 study endpoints are available. Source: COSMOS_DB.

๐Ÿ“ฑ

Is Silica in Your Products?

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

Try Piro Free โ†’

Analyze Your Full Ingredient List

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