Is 4-Hydroxyindole safe in cosmetics?
4-Hydroxyindole has a safety rating of "POOR" in our database. EU status: prohibited. US status: restricted.
Poor
Cosmetic Ingredient
4-Hydroxyindole
Also known as: EINECS 219-177-2, UNII-1W4VD9085V, hydroxyindoles
INCI: 4-HYDROXYINDOLE
4-Hydroxyindole (CAS 2380-94-1) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Hair dyeing. EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: prohibited. 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 2380-94-1 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
4-Hydroxyindole is prohibited in EU cosmetics but has active industrial GHS classifications (H315, H319, H335).
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu_status; Chemicals: ghs_classifications.signal_word/hazard_statement_code
Function
Hair dyeing
Safety Rating
POOR
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
prohibited
US US Status
restricted
US Notes
Not specifically banned by FDA; however, lacks safety substantiation for hair dye 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 4-Hydroxyindole.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Intermediate
Tonnage Band
Intermediate use only
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
EU CosIng Annex Listing
European Commission CosIng database Annex references per Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009.
Annex II — Prohibited
Ref: 1220
(EC) 2009/1223
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 (II - Prohibited)
BRIN Brazil/India Cosmetics
Brazil: Prohibited
India: Prohibited (GNRAS)
Additional Jurisdictional Restrictions (1)
| Jurisdiction | Status | Max % | Product Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| KR | prohibited | - | - |
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Dye
Regulatory List Membership (2)
EU Banned in Cosmetics
EU CosIng Cosmetics Ingredient Database
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for 4-Hydroxyindole.
Regulatory Flags
eu_banned_cosmetics
eu_cosing_listed
Known Synonyms
EINECS 219-177-2
UNII-1W4VD9085V
hydroxyindoles
Chemical Function
Dye
Regulatory Lists
banned; Europe; Personal care
pharmaceutical
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.
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL446571
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 4-Hydroxyindole allowed in the EU?
4-Hydroxyindole EU regulatory status: prohibited. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does 4-Hydroxyindole do in cosmetics?
4-Hydroxyindole functions as: Hair dyeing. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 2380-94-1.
Is 4-Hydroxyindole used outside cosmetics?
4-Hydroxyindole 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 4-Hydroxyindole have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
4-Hydroxyindole is prohibited in EU cosmetics but has active industrial GHS classifications (H315, H319, H335).
Compliance Tools
Check 4-Hydroxyindole 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
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