Is Silicon Carbide safe in cosmetics?
Silicon Carbide has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
Silicon Carbide
INCI: SILICON CARBIDE
Silicon Carbide (CAS 409-21-2) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Abrasive, skin conditioning (used in microdermabrasion and exfoliation products). EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: permitted. Industrial safety data is also available in the chemical safety database.
View industrial chemical safety profile for CAS 409-21-2 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Function
Abrasive, skin conditioning (used in microdermabrasion and exfoliation products)
Safety Rating
GOOD
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
methanidylidynesilanylium
InChIKey
HBMJWWWQQXIZIP-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Permitted in cosmetics; also used in medical device applications (microdermabrasion)
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Silicon Carbide.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
GHS Hazard Classification
Globally Harmonized System classification per ECHA C&L inventory and ILO/WHO International Chemical Safety Cards.
Short-term Exposure Effects
May cause mechanical irritation.
IARC Carcinogenicity
International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO) monograph evaluation.
IARC Group
2A
Volume
111
Evaluation Year
2014
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
100,000 - 1,000,000 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
Hazard classification: Restricted (Annex XVII)
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (3)
Carcinogen Classification
Silicon carbide whiskers | Group 2A: Probably carcinogenic to humans | Volume 111: (2017) Some Nanomaterials and Some Fibres
Source: International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
Evidence for Carcinogenicity
A2; Suspected human carcinogen. /fibrous forms of silicon carbide (incl whiskers)/
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
ICSC Safety Card
1061
Source: ILO-WHO International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Abrasive
Filler
Processing aids not otherwise specified
Regulatory List Membership (1)
EPA Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL)
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Silicon Carbide.
Regulatory Flags
epa_safer_alternative
Chemical Function
Abrasive
Processing aids not otherwise specified
Filler
Regulatory Lists
drinking_water; Europe; manufacturing; plastic_additive
active_ingredient; Australia
SCIL (9/2019)
Australian Status
AICIS status: listed
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Silicon Carbide allowed in the EU?
Silicon Carbide EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Silicon Carbide do in cosmetics?
Silicon Carbide functions as: Abrasive, skin conditioning (used in microdermabrasion and exfoliation products). It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 409-21-2.
Compliance Tools
Check Silicon Carbide 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
Compare limits across jurisdictions
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