Is 3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid safe in cosmetics?
3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid has a safety rating of "MODERATE" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
Moderate
Cosmetic Ingredient
3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid
Also known as: BRN 0508160, EINECS 202-726-5, UNII-2ZFW40OJ7U, 3-Hydroxy benzoate, 3-Hydroxy benzoic acid (+8 more)
INCI: 3-HYDROXYBENZOIC ACID
3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid (CAS 99-06-9) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Antimicrobial, Skin Conditioning. 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 99-06-9 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Function
Antimicrobial, Skin Conditioning
Safety Rating
MODERATE
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
3-hydroxybenzoic acid
InChIKey
IJFXRHURBJZNAO-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
No specific FDA restriction for cosmetic use
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for 3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Regulatory (1)
JECFA Number
2279
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Flavouring and nutrient
Softener and conditioner
Regulatory List Membership (1)
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for 3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid.
Regulatory Flags
fda_food_additive
jecfa_safe
Known Synonyms
BRN 0508160
EINECS 202-726-5
UNII-2ZFW40OJ7U
3-Hydroxy benzoate
3-Hydroxy benzoic acid
3-Hydroxybenzoate
Acido m-idrossibenzoico
Kyselina 3-hydroxybenzoova
Meta-hydroxybenzoate
Meta-hydroxybenzoic acid
m-Hba
m-Hydroxybenzoate
m-Salicylate
Chemical Function
Softener and conditioner
Flavouring and nutrient
Regulatory Lists
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
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
3-HYDROXYBENZOIC ACID
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL65369
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid allowed in the EU?
3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does 3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid do in cosmetics?
3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid functions as: Antimicrobial, Skin Conditioning. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 99-06-9.
Is 3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid used outside cosmetics?
3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid 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 3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid compliance across multiple jurisdictions:
Ingredient Decoder
Paste a full ingredient list for instant analysis
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
Related Ingredients
1-Methylhydantoin-2-imide (Creatinine)
Excellent
Same category
Skin conditioning (skin brightening/l...
4-Amino-3-Hydroxybutyric Acid
Excellent
Same category
Skin Conditioning
Acetyl Glycyl Beta-Alanine
Excellent
Same category
Skin conditioning agent with melanin ...
Acetyl Tripeptide-1
Excellent
Same category
Skin Conditioning
Acetylneuraminic Acid
Excellent
Same category
Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting
Acetylphytosphingosine
Excellent
Same category
Skin Conditioning, Hair Conditioning;...
(20S)-Protopanaxadiol
Moderate
Similar safety
(Cryptomeria Japonica/Chamaecyparis Obtusa) Stem Ferment Extract
Moderate
Similar safety
Antimicrobial, antioxidant, humectant
(Licorice/Reynoutria Japonica) Root/Stem Extract
Moderate
Similar safety
Skin conditioning, antioxidant
(SH-Pentapeptide-10 6-Aminocaprooyl SH-Pentapeptide-11) SP
Moderate
Similar safety
Skin/hair conditioning (peptide-based...
1,2,3,4,4a,5,6,7-Octahydro-2,5,5-Trimethyl-2-Naphthol
Moderate
Similar safety
Fragrance ingredient
1,2,3,4,4a,7,8,8a-Octahydro-2,4a,5,8a-Tetramethyl-Naphthyl Formate
Moderate
Similar safety
Fragrance ingredient
3,4-DIHYDROXYBENZOIC ACID
Good
Chemical family
Skin Protecting
3,4-Dihydroxybenzoic Acid (Protocatechuic Acid)
Good
Chemical family
Antioxidant, skin conditioning
4-Hydroxybenzoic Acid
Excellent
Chemical family
Preservative, pH Balancer
Is 3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid 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 3-Hydroxybenzoic Acid in your formulation.