Is THIMEROSAL safe in cosmetics?
THIMEROSAL has a safety rating of "MODERATE" in our database. EU status: restricted. This ingredient has been reviewed by SCCS Opinion.
THIMEROSAL
Also known as: ((o-Carboxyphenyl)thio)ethylmercury sodium salt, Merthiolate, Mercurate(1-), ethyl[2-(mercapto-.kappa.S)benzoato(2-)-.kappa.O]-, sodium (1:1), Caswell No. 766, EINECS 200-210-4 (+15 more)
THIMEROSAL (CAS 54-64-8) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Preservative. EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: restricted, max V/16; 1 safety opinion reviewed (SCCS Opinion). Industrial safety data is also available in the chemical safety database. Same-CAS public records also appear in industrial chemical safety and pharmaceutical data.
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
THIMEROSAL is classified GHS Danger (H301, H317, H320, H341, H351, H360, H371, H372) in the chemicals database but is restricted in EU cosmetics at max V/16.
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu status/eu max; Chemicals: ghs classifications.signal word/hazard statement code
Function
Preservative
Editorial assessment
MODERATE
Preliminary editorial note — not a computed safety verdict.
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
sodium (2-carboxylatophenyl)sulfanyl-ethylmercury
InChIKey
RTKIYNMVFMVABJ-UHFFFAOYSA-L
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
restricted
EU Max Conc.
V/16
US US Status
Not specifically regulated
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Opinions
Official safety assessments from the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) and Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR).
SCCS Opinion
SCCS/1686/25
2 February 2026
Verdict: unknown
Max Concentration: 0.007% in eye area
Sensitization Profile
Contact sensitization data for THIMEROSAL based on clinical patch test studies and IFRA standards.
Sensitization Rate
high
Allergen Class
preservative
EU Allergen Listed
no
Patch Test Positive Rate
5.0%
Cross-reactivity Group
mercury-group
Reaction Type
contact-dermatitis
Source: ESSCA; IVDK; NACDG
EU CosIng Annex Listing
European Commission CosIng database Annex references per Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009.
Annex V — Permitted Preservatives
Product type: Eye products
Max: 0.007% (of Hg)
If mixed with other mercurial compounds authorized by this Regulation, the maximum concentration of Hg remains fixed at 0.007%
Contains Thiomersal
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.
SA Saudi SFDA (V - Preservatives)
Product type: Eye products. Max: 0.007% (of Hg) If mixed with other mercurial compounds authorized by this Regulation, the maximum concentration of Hg remains fixed at 0.007%. Contains Thiomersal
BRIN Brazil/India Cosmetics
India: Permitted Preservative · max 0.007% (of Hg) If mixed with other mercurial compounds authorized by this Regulation, the maximum concentration of Hg remains fixed at 0.007%
Additional Jurisdictional Restrictions (6)
| Jurisdiction | Status | Max % | Product Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| IN | restricted | 0.007 | eye makeup and eye makeup remover ONLY |
| IN | permitted_preservative | 0.007 | eye makeup and eye makeup remover only |
| AU | banned | - | all |
| BR | banned | - | - |
| CA | banned | - | - |
| ASEAN | permitted_preservative | 0.007% as Hg (max total Hg 0.007% if mixed) | Eye make-up and eye make-up remover ONLY |
Expanded Dermal Absorption Data
Cross-database dermal penetration: EPA Dryad physics-based, Roberts Mendeley permeation, and SCCS-aggregated measured values.
Aggregated DA Values (2 records across 5 sources)
| Type | DA % | Method | Skin Model | SCCS Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| default | 50.0 | method=default | - | - |
| default | 0.007 | method=default | - | - |
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (1)
Carcinogen Classification
No indication of carcinogenicity (not listed by IARC). (L135)
Source: Toxin and Toxin Target Database (T3DB)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Preservative
Regulatory List Membership (2)
EU Regulated in Personal Care
EU CosIng Cosmetics Ingredient Database
Editorial summary
Preliminary editorial summary for THIMEROSAL — not a computed safety verdict. See the sourced toxicological data above.
Regulatory Flags
cosing-sourced
eu-restricted
preservative
needs-enrichment
eu_cosing_listed
Dermal Absorption
View details ->| Absorption % | Method | Vehicle |
|---|---|---|
| 50.0 | method=default | - |
| 0.007 | method=default | - |
Known Synonyms
((o-Carboxyphenyl)thio)ethylmercury sodium salt
Merthiolate
Mercurate(1-), ethyl[2-(mercapto-.kappa.S)benzoato(2-)-.kappa.O]-, sodium (1:1)
Caswell No. 766
EINECS 200-210-4
EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 078901
Estivin
Ethyl (sodium o-mercaptobenzoato)mercury
Ethylmercurithiosalicyclic acid, sodium salt
Ethylmercurithiosalicylic acid sodium salt
Mercurate(1-), ethyl(2-mercaptobenzoate(2-)-O,S)-, sodium salt
Mercurate(1-), ethyl(o-mercaptobenzoato(2-))-, sodium
Mercurothiolatum
Mercury, ethyl(2-mercaptobenzoate-S)-, sodium salt
Mercury, ethyl(2-mercaptobenzoato-S)-, sodium salt
Merphol
Merthiolate salt
Merzonin sodium
Sodium ethylmercuric thiosalicylate
Thimerosalate
Chemical Function
Preservative
Regulatory Lists
Canada; pharmaceutical
pharmaceutical
active_ingredient; animal_products; Europe; pharmaceutical; residue
Europe; Personal care
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
thiomersal
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL508338
Adverse Event Associations
20
Frequently Asked Questions
Is THIMEROSAL allowed in the EU?
THIMEROSAL EU regulatory status: restricted. Maximum allowed concentration: V/16. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does THIMEROSAL do in cosmetics?
THIMEROSAL functions as: Preservative. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 54-64-8.
Is THIMEROSAL used outside cosmetics?
THIMEROSAL 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.
Does THIMEROSAL have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
THIMEROSAL is classified GHS Danger (H301, H317, H320, H341, H351, H360, H371, H372) in the chemicals database but is restricted in EU cosmetics at max V/16.
Compliance Tools
Check THIMEROSAL 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
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