Is Acid Red 18 safe in cosmetics?
Acid Red 18 has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: prohibited. US status: prohibited. 10 toxicological study endpoint(s) are available in our database.
Acid Red 18
Also known as: C.I. Acid Red 18, trisodium salt, Ponceau 4R, SX purple, C.I. Acid Red 28, Acilan Scarlet V3R (+15 more)
INCI: CI 16255
Acid Red 18 (CAS 2611-82-7) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Cosmetic colorant; semi-permanent hair dye. Reported NOAEL =300 mg/kg bw/day in rat (SCCNFP_vision_codex); EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: prohibited, max 0.5%. Industrial safety data is also available in the chemical safety database. Same-CAS public records also appear in industrial chemical safety data.
View industrial chemical safety profile for CAS 2611-82-7 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Acid Red 18 is prohibited in EU cosmetics at max 0.5% but has active industrial GHS classifications.
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu_status/eu_max; Chemicals: ghs_classifications.signal_word
Function
Cosmetic colorant; semi-permanent hair dye
Safety Rating
GOOD
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
trisodium;7-hydroxy-8-[(4-sulfonatonaphthalen-1-yl)diazenyl]naphthalene-1,3-disulfonate
InChIKey
SWGJCIMEBVHMTA-UHFFFAOYSA-K
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
prohibited
EU Max Conc.
0.5%
US US Status
prohibited
US Notes
Not FDA-approved; Ponceau 4R is not permitted in the US
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Acid Red 18.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Toxicological Studies
10 study endpoints found for Acid Red 18. NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect Level) values are used to calculate the Margin of Safety per SCCS methodology.
| Endpoint | Value | Route | Species | Study Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOAEL | =300 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | repeated dose toxicity | SCCNFP_vision_codex |
| NOAEL | =300 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | repeated dose toxicity | SCCNFP_vision_codex |
| NOAEL | =300 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | repeated dose toxicity | SCCNFP_vision_codex |
| NOAEL | =300 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | repeated dose toxicity | SCCNFP_vision_codex |
| NOAEL | =500 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | repeated dose toxicity | SCCNFP_vision_codex |
| NOAEL | =500 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | repeated dose toxicity | SCCNFP_vision_codex |
| NOAEL | =500 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | repeated dose toxicity | SCCNFP_vision_codex |
| NOAEL | =500 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | repeated dose toxicity | SCCNFP_vision_codex |
| NOAEL | =1000 mg/kg | - | - | NOAEL study | SCCNFP_vision_codex |
| NOAEL | =1000 mg/kg | - | - | NOAEL study | SCCNFP_vision_codex |
EPA ToxValDB — Toxicity Values
10 toxicity values from EPA ToxValDB (aggregated from CCTE, HPV, ToxRefDB, IRIS, and other regulatory dossiers).
| Endpoint | Value | Species | Route | Duration | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOAEL | =70 mg/kg-day | Mouse | oral | chronic | EFSA |
| NOAEL | =1250 mg/kg-day | Rat | oral | - | ECHA IUCLID |
| NOAEL | =1250 mg/kg-day | Rat | oral | - | ECHA IUCLID |
| NOAEL | =1250 mg/kg-day | Rat | oral | - | ECHA IUCLID |
| NOAEL | =1250 mg/kg-day | Rat | oral | - | ECHA IUCLID |
| ADI | <=4 mg/kg | Human | oral | - | WHO JECFA ADI |
| NOAEL | =70 mg/kg-day | Mouse | oral | chronic | EFSA |
| LOEL | =10 mg/kg-day | Mouse | oral | acute | ECOTOX |
| NOEL | =1 mg/kg-day | Mouse | oral | acute | ECOTOX |
| LD50 | >8000 mg/kg | Rat | oral | - | ChemIDplus |
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
100 - 1,000 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
EU CosIng Annex Listing
European Commission CosIng database Annex references per Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009.
Annex IV — Permitted Colorants
Product type: Red
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 (IV - Colorants)
BRIN Brazil/India Cosmetics
India: Permitted Colorant
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Regulatory (1)
JECFA Evaluation
COCHINEAL RED A | 2011 | 0–4 mg/kg bw | The Committee concluded that new data do not indicate a need to revise the existing ADI of 0–4 mg/kg body weight and that dietary exposure to Ponceau 4R does not present a health concern. | TRS 966-JECFA 74/32 | FAS 18-JECFA 27/101
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Dye
Regulatory List Membership (1)
EU Restricted for Children (Cosmetics)
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Acid Red 18.
Regulatory Flags
colorant
eu_children_restricted
NOAEL Studies Summary
View details ->Public NOAEL study rows linked to Acid Red 18 by CAS number or substance name.
Studies
17
Lowest NOAEL
300
Highest NOAEL
1250
Units vary across source rows: mg/kg bw/day, mg/kg
ToxValDB_ECHA_IUCLID
SCCNFP_vision_codex
Known Synonyms
C.I. Acid Red 18, trisodium salt
Ponceau 4R
SX purple
C.I. Acid Red 28
Acilan Scarlet V3R
Crimson SX
Edicol Supra Ponceaux 4 RS
Edicol Supra Ponceaux 4RS
EINECS 220-036-2
New Coccine Extra Conc. A Export
New Coccine Extra Pure A
New Coccine Red No. 102
NSC 4301
Ponceau 4RE.FQ
Purple SX
Red Dye No. 102
1-(4-Sulpho-1-naphthylazo)-2-naphthol-6,8-disulphonic acid, trisodium salt
Zolfosol
Cerven kosenilova A
Cerven kysela 18
Chemical Function
Dye
Regulatory Lists
consumer_product; Europe
Europe; Personal care - hair coloring
Europe; Personal care - hair coloring
children; Europe; Personal care
children; Europe; Personal care - specialized bath products - bath salts
children; Europe; Personal care - body hygiene - body wash
children; Europe; Personal care - specialized bath products - bubble bath
children; Europe; Personal care
children; Europe; Personal care
Europe; Personal care - hair styling and care - shampoo-dandruff
consumer_product; Europe
inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides
Australian Status
AICIS status: listed
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Acid Red 18 allowed in the EU?
Acid Red 18 EU regulatory status: prohibited. Maximum allowed concentration: 0.5%. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Acid Red 18 do in cosmetics?
Acid Red 18 functions as: Cosmetic colorant; semi-permanent hair dye. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 2611-82-7.
What is the NOAEL for Acid Red 18?
The NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect Level) for Acid Red 18 is =300 mg/kg bw/day based on a repeated dose toxicity study via oral route in rat. A total of 10 study endpoints are available. Source: SCCNFP_vision_codex.
Is Acid Red 18 used outside cosmetics?
Acid Red 18 also appears in industrial chemical safety data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.
Does Acid Red 18 have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Acid Red 18 is prohibited in EU cosmetics at max 0.5% but has active industrial GHS classifications.
Compliance Tools
Check Acid Red 18 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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