Is SORBITAN LAURATE safe in cosmetics?
SORBITAN LAURATE has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
Good
Cosmetic Ingredient
SORBITAN LAURATE
Also known as: Sorbitan monolaurate, Span(R) 20, Sorbitan, monododecanoate, Sorbitan, monolaurate, EINECS 215-663-3 (+4 more)
SORBITAN LAURATE (CAS 1338-39-2) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Surfactant - Emulsifying. 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.
View industrial chemical safety profile for CAS 1338-39-2 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Function
Surfactant - Emulsifying
Safety Rating
GOOD
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
[(2R)-2-[(2R,3R,4S)-3,4-dihydroxyoxolan-2-yl]-2-hydroxyethyl] dodecanoate
InChIKey
LWZFANDGMFTDAV-BURFUSLBSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
CIR: S - JACT 4(3):65-121, 1985
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
EPA ToxValDB — Toxicity Values
10 toxicity values from EPA ToxValDB (aggregated from CCTE, HPV, ToxRefDB, IRIS, and other regulatory dossiers).
| Endpoint | Value | Species | Route | Duration | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEL | =850 mg/kg-day | Cow Family | oral | subchronic | EFSA |
| LEL | =8500 mg/kg-day | Chicken | oral | subchronic | EFSA |
| LEL | =8500 mg/kg-day | Pig | oral | subchronic | EFSA |
| NOAEL | =2600 mg/kg-day | Mouse | oral | chronic | EFSA |
| NOAEL | =2600 mg/kg-day | Mouse | oral | chronic | EFSA |
| ADI | <=25 mg/kg | Human | oral | - | WHO JECFA ADI |
| LD50 | =33600 mg/kg | Rat | oral | - | ChemIDplus |
| LD50 | =36000 mg/kg | Rat | oral | - | HPVIS |
| LD50 | >41250 mg/kg | Rat | oral | - | HPVIS |
| LD50 | =41300 mg/kg | Rat | oral | - | HPVIS |
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
Ceased manufacture
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
Additional Ingredient Properties
4 property records from structured ingredient metadata.
comedogenicity_detail
{"comedogenicity_rating": "1", "irritancy_rating": "1", "skin_type_suitability": "all,combination,normal", "acne_safe": "yes", "source": "Emulsifier"}
emulsion_hlb
{"hlb_value": "8.6", "hlb_required_as_emulsifier": "yes", "emulsifier_type": "w_o", "critical_packing_parameter": "0.50-0.70", "emulsion_stabilization_mechanism": "steric_stabilization", "co_emulsifier_pairs": "polysorbate_20,cetyl_alcohol", "optimal_oil_phase_pct": "40-70", "optimal_water_phase_pct": "30-60", "electrolyte_tolerance": "moderate", "pH_emulsion_stability_range": "4.0-9.0", "viscosit…
ph_stability
{"optimal_ph_min": "3.0", "optimal_ph_max": "9.0", "stable_ph_min": "3.0", "stable_ph_max": "10.0", "ph_dependent_function": "Non-ionic emulsifier", "formulation_note": "HLB ~8.6", "source": "Formulation literature"}
solubility_hlb
{"water_soluble": "partial", "oil_soluble": "yes", "hlb_value": "8.6", "soluble_in": "oils, ethanol, water", "insoluble_in": "glycerin", "log_p": "2.7", "appearance": "amber liquid", "source": "Croda"}
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Regulatory (1)
JECFA Evaluation
SORBITAN MONOLAURATE | 1982 | 0-25 mg/kg bw | Group ADI as the sum of the sorbitan esters of lauric, oleic, palmitic and stearic acid. | TRS 683-JECFA 26/18; see also TRS 891-JECFA 51/2 (1998) | FAS 17-JECFA 26/218
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Anti-static agent
Dispersing agent
Emulsifier
Surfactant (surface active agent)
Wetting agent (non-aqueous)
Regulatory List Membership (2)
EPA Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL)
FDA Indirect Food Contact Additives
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for SORBITAN LAURATE.
Regulatory Flags
cosing-sourced
eu-permitted
surfactant
needs-enrichment
epa_safer_alternative
Known Synonyms
Sorbitan monolaurate
Span(R) 20
Sorbitan, monododecanoate
Sorbitan, monolaurate
EINECS 215-663-3
Radiasurf 7125
Emasol Super L 10(F)
Sorbitani lauras
UNII-6W9PS8B71J
Chemical Function
Emulsifier
Surfactant (surface active agent)
Anti-static agent
Dispersing agent
Regulatory Lists
pharmaceutical
Europe; plastic_additive
drinking_water; Europe; manufacturing; plastic_additive
inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides
Indirect additives food contact (10/2018)
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
SORBITAN MONOLAURATE
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL3706389
Max Phase
2
Frequently Asked Questions
Is SORBITAN LAURATE allowed in the EU?
SORBITAN LAURATE EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does SORBITAN LAURATE do in cosmetics?
SORBITAN LAURATE functions as: Surfactant - Emulsifying. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 1338-39-2.
Is SORBITAN LAURATE used outside cosmetics?
SORBITAN LAURATE 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 SORBITAN LAURATE compliance across multiple jurisdictions:
Ingredient Decoder
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82 Allergen Checker
Check for EU declarable fragrance allergens
Substance Compliance
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MoS Calculator
Calculate Margin of Safety using SCCS methodology
Heavy Metal Limits
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