Is Dodecane safe in cosmetics?
Dodecane has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
Good
Cosmetic Ingredient
Dodecane
Also known as: Adakane 12, Cactus Normal Paraffin N 12D, Parafol 12-97, Parafol C12-97, n-Dodecane (+11 more)
INCI: DODECANE
Dodecane (CAS 112-40-3) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Fragrance, Emollient, Solvent. NOAEL 1000 mg/kg bw/day (cross-referenced against ToxValDB ECHA IUCLID); 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 112-40-3 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Dodecane is classified GHS Danger (H304, H319, H227, H226, H410, H413) in the chemicals database but is allowed in EU cosmetics.
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu_status; Chemicals: ghs_classifications.signal_word/hazard_statement_code
Function
Fragrance, Emollient, Solvent
Safety Rating
GOOD
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
dodecane
InChIKey
SNRUBQQJIBEYMU-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
CIR assessed as safe as used in cosmetics (Isoparaffins group, Johnson et al. 2012); on EPA TSCA inventory; no FDA restrictions
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Dodecane.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Pre-Calculated Safety Assessment
Pre-calculated NOAEL → SED → MoS audit trail for Dodecane across SCCS product categories, with measured dermal absorption where available.
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
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (1)
Skin Eye Respiratory Irritation
Acute eye contact to dodecane may cause irritation. Skin contact may cause irritation or burns. | /Dodecane/ can be irritating to mucous membranes.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Flavouring and nutrient
Fragrance
Solvent
Regulatory List Membership (2)
IFRA Fragrance Transparency List
Consumer Product Chemical
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Dodecane.
Regulatory Flags
volatile-carrier
lightweight-emollient
plant-derived-grades-available
ecocert-certified-grade-available
aspiration-hazard-h304-raw-material-only
isoparaffin
fragrance
ifra_fragrance
Known Synonyms
Adakane 12
Cactus Normal Paraffin N 12D
Parafol 12-97
Parafol C12-97
n-Dodecane
C12-n-Alkane
4-01-00-00498
BRN 1697175
EINECS 203-967-9
n-Dodecan
UNII-11A386X1QH
Bihexyl
CH3-[CH2]10-CH3
Dihexyl
Dodekan
Duodecane
Chemical Function
Fragrance
Solvent
Flavouring and nutrient
Regulatory Lists
detected; Other direct contact consumer goods; Other indirect contact consumer goods
Arts and crafts/Office supplies - general arts and crafts supplies - arts and crafts paint; detected; Europe
Cleaning products and household care - laundry and fabric treatment - laundry stain remover; detected; Europe
consumer_product; detected; Europe
air; Cleaning products and household care - laundry and fabric treatment; detected; emissions
air; Cleaning products and household care; detected; emissions
air; Arts and crafts/Office supplies - children's art and toys - modeling clay; detected; emissions; Europe
air; detected; emissions; Europe; Other direct contact consumer goods
air; detected; emissions; Europe; Toys and children's products
air; detected; emissions; Europe; Toys and children's products
Cleaning products and household care - laundry and fabric treatment - laundry stain remover; detected; Europe
air; detected; emissions; Europe; Toys and children's products
IFRA Transparency
Europe
consumer_product
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
DODECANE
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL30959
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dodecane allowed in the EU?
Dodecane EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Dodecane do in cosmetics?
Dodecane functions as: Fragrance, Emollient, Solvent. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 112-40-3.
Is Dodecane used outside cosmetics?
Dodecane 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 Dodecane have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Dodecane is classified GHS Danger (H304, H319, H227, H226, H410, H413) in the chemicals database but is allowed in EU cosmetics.
Compliance Tools
Check Dodecane 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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