Is Sodium Dehydroacetate safe in cosmetics?
Sodium Dehydroacetate has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: restricted. US status: permitted.
GOOD
Preservative
Sodium Dehydroacetate
Also known as: 3-Acetyl-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2,4(3H)-dione sodium, Caswell No. 278A, Dehydroacetic acid, sodium salt, EINECS 224-580-1, EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 027802 (+8 more)
INCI: SODIUM DEHYDROACETATE
Sodium Dehydroacetate (CAS 4418-26-2) is a cosmetic preservative functioning as Preservative. NOAEL 46 mg/kg bw/day (cross-referenced against ToxValDB ECHA IUCLID); EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: restricted, max 20%. 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.
Function
Preservative
Editorial assessment
GOOD
Preliminary editorial note — not a computed safety verdict.
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
sodium 3-acetyl-6-methylpyran-3-ide-2,4-dione
InChIKey
YIOCQGHBBNGBND-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
restricted
EU Max Conc.
20%
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
CIR Expert Panel has assessed this ingredient three times (1985, 2003/2006, 2023/2024) and consistently concluded it is safe as used in the present practices of use and concentration.
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Sodium Dehydroacetate.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Pre-Calculated Safety Assessment
Pre-calculated NOAEL → SED → MoS audit trail for Sodium Dehydroacetate across SCCS product categories, with measured dermal absorption where available.
EPA ToxValDB — Toxicity Values
4 toxicity values from EPA ToxValDB (aggregated from CCTE, HPV, ToxRefDB, IRIS, and other regulatory dossiers).
| Endpoint | Value | Species | Route | Duration | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOEL | =1000 mg/kg-day | Mouse | oral | acute | ECOTOX |
| LD50 | =1050 mg/kg | Mouse | oral | - | ChemIDplus |
| LD50 | =500 mg/kg | Rabbit | oral | - | ChemIDplus |
| LD50 | =500 mg/kg | Rat | oral | - | ChemIDplus |
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
Acute Tox. 4 *
Hazard Statements
- H302 Harmful if swallowed
Inserted via ATP: CLP00
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
1,000 - 10,000 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
Hazard classification: Restricted (Annex XVII)
Expanded Jurisdictional Detail
Additional regulatory detail beyond the 7-jurisdiction summary: Saudi SFDA, Korea MFDS, ASEAN ACD, Japan/Korea, Brazil/India, and cross-jurisdictional restriction entries.
Additional Jurisdictional Restrictions (2)
| Jurisdiction | Status | Max % | Product Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN | permitted_preservative | 0.6 | All cosmetics |
| BR | permitted_preservative | 0.6 | 0.6% as dehydroacetic acid; prohibited in sprays |
Typical Use Concentrations
Reported concentration ranges per product category from SCCS/CIR/industry sources.
| Product Category | Typical Range | Max Reported | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body Lotion | 0.1–0.6 | 0.6 | CIR Expert Panel |
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (1)
Carcinogen Classification
No indication of carcinogenicity to humans (not listed by IARC).
Source: Toxin and Toxin Target Database (T3DB)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Dye
Preservative
Regulatory List Membership (2)
EU Regulated in Personal Care
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Editorial summary
Preliminary editorial summary for Sodium Dehydroacetate — not a computed safety verdict. See the sourced toxicological data above.
Regulatory Flags
EU Restricted
fda_food_additive
Known Synonyms
3-Acetyl-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2,4(3H)-dione sodium
Caswell No. 278A
Dehydroacetic acid, sodium salt
EINECS 224-580-1
EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 027802
4-Hexenoic acid, 2-acetyl-5-hydroxy-3-oxo, delta-lactone, sodium derivative
3-(1-Hydroxyethylidene)-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2,4(3H)-dione, sodium salt
2H-Pyran-2,4(3H)-dione, 3-acetyl-6-methyl-, ion(1-), sodium salt
2H-Pyran-2,4(3H)-dione, 3-acetyl-6-methyl-, sodium salt
Sodium 3-acetyl-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2,4(3H)-dione
Sodium 3-acetyl-6-methyl-2,4-pyrandione
Kyselina dehydroacetova sodna sul
UNII-8W46YN971G
Chemical Function
Preservative
Dye
Regulatory Lists
active_ingredient; Europe; Pesticides
Europe; Personal care
Europe; Personal care
Europe; Personal care
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
Australian Status
AICIS status: listed
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
SODIUM DEHYDROACETATE
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL2107528
Max Phase
-1
SOURCE
EFSA / FDA GRAS
food_additives
Food Safety Data
Same-CAS food additive or FDA GRAS records from the core public database.
Food Name
Sodium dehydroacetate
ADI
0.6 mg/kg bw
Food Category
preservative
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sodium Dehydroacetate allowed in the EU?
Sodium Dehydroacetate EU regulatory status: restricted. Maximum allowed concentration: 20%. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Sodium Dehydroacetate do in cosmetics?
Sodium Dehydroacetate functions as: Preservative. It is classified as a Preservative in our database. CAS number: 4418-26-2.
Is Sodium Dehydroacetate used outside cosmetics?
Sodium Dehydroacetate 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.
Compliance Tools
Check Sodium Dehydroacetate compliance across multiple jurisdictions:
Ingredient Decoder
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82 Allergen Checker
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Substance Compliance
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MoS Calculator
Calculate Margin of Safety using SCCS methodology
Heavy Metal Limits
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