Is Anethole safe in cosmetics?
Anethole has a safety rating of "MODERATE" in our database. EU status: restricted. US status: permitted. 6 toxicological study endpoint(s) are available in our database.
Anethole
Also known as: Benzene, 1-methoxy-4-(1E)-1-propenyl-, trans-Anethole, BRN 0636190, EINECS 224-052-0, FEMA No. 2086 (+15 more)
INCI: ANETHOLE
Anethole (CAS 4180-23-8) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as fragrance, masking, antimicrobial. NOAEL 350 mg/kg bw/day (cross-referenced against ToxValDB ECHA IUCLID); EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: restricted, max 0.001% leave-on / 0.01% rinse-off (labeling threshold). Industrial safety data is also available in the chemical safety database. Same-CAS public records also appear in industrial chemical safety, pharmaceutical, and food safety data.
View industrial chemical safety profile for CAS 4180-23-8 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Function
fragrance, masking, antimicrobial
Safety Rating
MODERATE
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
1-methoxy-4-[(E)-prop-1-enyl]benzene
InChIKey
RUVINXPYWBROJD-ONEGZZNKSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
restricted
EU Max Conc.
0.001% leave-on / 0.01% rinse-off (labeling threshold)
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Permitted as fragrance ingredient; subject to FDA fragrance safety guidelines; generally recognized as safe at normal use levels
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Anethole.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Toxicological Studies
6 study endpoints found for Anethole. 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 | 125 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Chronic | COSMOS_DB |
| NOAEL | 225 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Carcinogenicity | COSMOS_DB |
| NOAEL | 500 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Chronic | COSMOS_DB |
| NOAEL | 690 mg/kg bw/day | oral | mouse | Carcinogenicity | COSMOS_DB |
| NOAEL | 741 mg/kg bw/day | oral | mouse | Short Term Toxicity | COSMOS_DB |
| NOAEL | 1000 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Subchronic | COSMOS_DB |
Pre-Calculated Safety Assessment
Pre-calculated NOAEL → SED → MoS audit trail for Anethole across SCCS product categories, with measured dermal absorption where available.
HRIPT Human Patch Test Studies
1 human repeat insult patch test aggregated from dermatological literature.
| Test Type | N | Sensitized | Dose µg/cm² | NESIL µg/cm² | Potency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMT | - | 0 | 1296 | - | - |
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
1,000 - 10,000 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
Additional Ingredient Properties
1 property record from structured ingredient metadata.
fragrance_ifra
{"cas_number": "104-46-1", "ifra_amendment_number": "49", "ifra_restriction_type": "Restricted", "ifra_max_use_level_category_1_pct": "0.12", "ifra_max_use_level_category_4_pct": "1.9", "ifra_max_use_level_category_7_pct": "0.28", "ifra_max_use_level_category_11_pct": "0.055", "eu_allergen_declaration_required": "No", "eu_26_allergens_list": "No", "sccs_opinion_available": "Yes", "sensitization_po…
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Regulatory (2)
JECFA Number
217
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
JECFA Evaluation
ISOESTRAGOLE | 1998 | 0-2 mg/kg bw | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 891-JECFA 51/18 | FAS 42-JECFA 51/5
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Flavouring and nutrient
Fragrance
Regulatory List Membership (3)
IFRA Fragrance Transparency List
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Consumer Product Chemical
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Anethole.
Regulatory Flags
fragrance_allergen
eu_annex_iii
labeling_required
sensitizer
anise_derived
ifra_fragrance
fda_food_additive
NOAEL Studies Summary
View details ->Public NOAEL study rows linked to Anethole by CAS number or substance name.
Studies
6
Lowest NOAEL
125 mg/kg bw/day
Highest NOAEL
1000 mg/kg bw/day
COSMOS_DB
Known Synonyms
Benzene, 1-methoxy-4-(1E)-1-propenyl-
trans-Anethole
BRN 0636190
EINECS 224-052-0
FEMA No. 2086
Methoxy-beta-methylstyrene, trans-p-
1-p-Methoxyphenylpropene, trans-
1-Methoxy-4-(1-propenyl)benzene, (E)-
Propenylanisole, p-, (E)-
UNII-Q3JEK5DO4K
Anethole, trans
(E)-1-Methoxy-4-(1-propenyl)benzene
(E)-p-Propenylanisole
1-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-1(3)-propene
1-(Methyloxy)-4-[(1E)-prop-1-en-1-yl]benzene
1-(p-Methoxyphenyl)-Propene
1-Methoxy-4-((1E)-1-propenyl)benzene
1-Methoxy-4-(1-propenyl)-(E)-Benzene
1-Methoxy-4-(1-propenyl)benzene, 9CI
1-Methoxy-4-(1E)-1-propen-1-yl-Benzene
Chemical Function
Flavouring and nutrient
Fragrance
Regulatory Lists
Europe
IFRA Transparency
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
consumer_product
Australian Status
AICIS status: listed
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
ANETHOLE
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL452630
Max Phase
-1
SOURCE
EFSA / FDA GRAS
food_additives
Food Safety Data
Same-CAS food additive or FDA GRAS records from the core public database.
Food Name
TRANS-ANETHOLE
ADI
0-2 mg/kg bw mg/kg bw
Food Category
flavoring
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Anethole allowed in the EU?
Anethole EU regulatory status: restricted. Maximum allowed concentration: 0.001% leave-on / 0.01% rinse-off (labeling threshold). This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Anethole do in cosmetics?
Anethole functions as: fragrance, masking, antimicrobial. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 4180-23-8.
What is the NOAEL for Anethole?
The NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect Level) for Anethole is 125 mg/kg bw/day based on a Chronic study via oral route in rat. A total of 6 study endpoints are available. Source: COSMOS_DB.
Is Anethole used outside cosmetics?
Anethole also appears in industrial chemical safety, pharmaceutical, and food safety data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.
Compliance Tools
Check Anethole 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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