Is Violacein safe in cosmetics?
Violacein has a safety rating of "MODERATE" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
MODERATE
Cosmetic Ingredient
Violacein
Also known as: 3-(2-(5-Hydroxyindol-3-yl)-5-oxo-2-pyrrolin-4-ylidene)-2-indolinone, Oxindole, 3-(2-(5-hydroxyindol-3-yl)-5-oxo-2-pyrrolin-4-ylidene)-
INCI: VIOLACEIN
Violacein (CAS 548-54-9) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, Colorant. EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: permitted. Industrial safety data is also available in the chemical safety database. Same-CAS public records also appear in pharmaceutical and food safety data.
Function
Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, Colorant
Editorial assessment
MODERATE
Preliminary editorial note — not a computed safety verdict.
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
3-[2-hydroxy-5-(5-hydroxy-1H-indol-3-yl)-1H-pyrrol-3-yl]indol-2-one
InChIKey
SHLJIZCPRXXHHZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Caution – colorant use requires FDA color additive approval; non-colorant antimicrobial/antioxidant use may be permissible
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Violacein.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Antioxidant
Biocide
Dye
Editorial summary
Preliminary editorial summary for Violacein — not a computed safety verdict. See the sourced toxicological data above.
Regulatory Flags
colorant
Known Synonyms
3-(2-(5-Hydroxyindol-3-yl)-5-oxo-2-pyrrolin-4-ylidene)-2-indolinone
Oxindole, 3-(2-(5-hydroxyindol-3-yl)-5-oxo-2-pyrrolin-4-ylidene)-
Chemical Function
Biocide
Antioxidant
Dye
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
VIOLACEIN
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL1652263
SOURCE
EFSA / FDA GRAS
food_additives
Food Safety Data
Same-CAS food additive or FDA GRAS records from the core public database.
Food Name
Violacein
Food Category
colorant
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Violacein allowed in the EU?
Violacein EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Violacein do in cosmetics?
Violacein functions as: Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, Colorant. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 548-54-9.
Is Violacein used outside cosmetics?
Violacein also appears in pharmaceutical and food safety data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.
Compliance Tools
Check Violacein 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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