Excellent Antioxidant

Superoxide Dismutase

INCI: SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE

CAS Number
9054-89-1
Function
Enzymatic antioxidant; preventive antioxidant; converts superoxide radicals (O2•−) to hydrogen peroxide at the radical initiation stage; anti-pollution active
Safety Rating
EXCELLENT

Regulatory Status

🇪🇺 EU Status permitted
🇺🇸 US Status permitted
US Notes No FDA restrictions for topical cosmetic use. Classified as cosmetic ingredient. No specific CIR final report. FDA recognises catalase and SOD as GRAS for food enzyme preparations (21 CFR 184). Bovine-source SOD historically used — recombinant and plant-derived forms now preferred for BSE risk mitigation.

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

Safety Data

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

Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.

Expert Verdict

Preventive enzymatic antioxidant that intercepts superoxide radicals before chain initiation, mechanistically complementary to chain-breaking antioxidants. Typical use 0.001–0.01% active protein. Critical formulation challenge: protein stability and penetration require liposomal delivery with unsaturated phosphatidylcholine-based liposomes. Conventional aqueous formulations rapidly inactive. Claims require substantiation with stability and penetration data. Recombinant or plant-derived SOD preferred over bovine-source. Best suited to premium anti-pollution and anti-aging formulations with appropriate delivery technology.

⚠️
Concern Level: None

Regulatory Flags

antioxidant enzymatic preventive-antioxidant protein encapsulation-required liposomal-delivery stability-challenge penetration-challenge anti-pollution endogenous-enzyme high-molecular-weight

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Superoxide Dismutase safe in cosmetics?

Preventive enzymatic antioxidant that intercepts superoxide radicals before chain initiation, mechanistically complementary to chain-breaking antioxidants. Typical use 0.001–0.01% active protein. Critical formulation challenge: protein stability and penetration require liposomal delivery with unsaturated phosphatidylcholine-based liposomes. Conventional aqueous formulations rapidly inactive. Claims require substantiation with stability and penetration data. Recombinant or plant-derived SOD preferred over bovine-source. Best suited to premium anti-pollution and anti-aging formulations with appropriate delivery technology. The EU classifies Superoxide Dismutase as "permitted". Safety rating: EXCELLENT.

Is Superoxide Dismutase allowed in the EU?

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

What does Superoxide Dismutase do in cosmetics?

Superoxide Dismutase functions as: Enzymatic antioxidant; preventive antioxidant; converts superoxide radicals (O2•−) to hydrogen peroxide at the radical initiation stage; anti-pollution active. It is classified as a Antioxidant in our database. CAS number: 9054-89-1.

What is the Margin of Safety for Superoxide Dismutase?

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.

📱

Is Superoxide Dismutase in Your Products?

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

Try Piro Free →

Analyze Your Full Ingredient List

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