Formaldehyde and Methylene Glycol: CIR Safety Assessment Summary
CIR safety assessment summary for Formaldehyde and Methylene Glycol: ingredients reviewed, panel verdict, use concentration context, conditions, and sourc.
Formaldehyde and Methylene Glycol appears in a CIR safety assessment covering Formaldehyde and Methylene Glycol. The panel verdict for the report is unsafe. The CIR Expert Panel concluded that formaldehyde and methylene glycol are safe for use in cosmetics when formulated to ensure use at the minimal effective concentration, but in no case should the formalin (note 1) concentration exceed 0.2% (w/w), which would be 0.074% (w/w) calculated as formaldehyde or 0.118% (w/w) calculated as methylene glycol. Additionally, formaldehyde and methylene glycol are safe in the present practices of use and concentration in nail-hardening products.
| Field | CIR value |
|---|---|
| Primary ingredient | Formaldehyde and Methylene Glycol |
| CIR verdict | unsafe |
| Report type | Safety Assessment |
| Date | In 1984 |
| Use concentration context | 0.2%; 0.074%; 0.118% |
| Conditions or carve-outs |
Ingredients Reviewed
The review scope matters because CIR conclusions often apply to an ingredient family rather than a single INCI name. In this report, the ingredient list includes Formaldehyde and Methylene Glycol.
Safety Conclusion
The conclusion for Formaldehyde and Methylene Glycol should be read as a CIR panel conclusion, not a regulatory limit. CIR assessments summarize expert-panel safety determinations for cosmetic use, while legal status still depends on the jurisdiction and product category.
For use levels, the report gives this concentration context: 0.2%; 0.074%; 0.118%. That language is the safe-use context shown for this page.
Conditions
The CIR Expert Panel concluded that formaldehyde and methylene glycol are safe for use in cosmetics when formulated to ensure use at the minimal effective concentration, but in no case should the formalin (note 1) concentration exceed 0.2% (w/w), which would be 0.074% (w/w) calculated as formaldehyde or 0.118% (w/w) calculated as methylene glycol.
Formulation Reading
For formula review, begin with the exact INCI identity and the ingredient group covered by the CIR assessment. If the material is Formaldehyde and Methylene Glycol, the relevant comparison is whether the intended use aligns with the practices, concentration ranges, and conditions described in the CIR source.
The ingredient hub at Formaldehyde and Methylene Glycol should carry the substance-level profile. This page is the report-level summary, keeping the conclusion, ingredient scope, and use-context language attached to the CIR source rather than treating the conclusion as a universal permission.
Why This Page Exists
CIR reviews are long documents, and the practical answer is usually buried in the conclusion and the table of current practices. This summary keeps those CIR facts in one indexable page for Formaldehyde and Methylene Glycol, with source details retained at the bottom for audit.
Source
- CIR report: Amended Safety Assessment of Formaldehyde and Methylene Glycol as Used in Cosmetics Ivan J. Boyer1, Bart Heldreth2, Wilma F. Bergfeld3, Donald V. Belsito3, Ronald A. Hill3, Curtis D. Klaassen3, Daniel C. Liebler3, James G. Marks Jr3,
- CIR source file: PRS582.pdf
- Extraction JSON: CIR Safety Assessment Database
- Conclusion page in CIR extraction: 23