Is Ethylhexyl Acrylate (monomer) safe in cosmetics?
Ethylhexyl Acrylate (monomer) has a safety rating of "POOR" in our database. EU status: prohibited. US status: permitted.
Ethylhexyl Acrylate (monomer)
Also known as: Acido 2-propenoico, 2-etil hexil ester, EC No.: 203-080-7, BRN 1765828, EINECS 203-080-7, 2-Ethyl-1-hexyl acrylate (+8 more)
INCI: ETHYLHEXYL ACRYLATE
Ethylhexyl Acrylate (monomer) (CAS 103-11-7) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Monomer — not intended for direct use in finished cosmetics; used in production. 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 103-11-7 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Ethylhexyl Acrylate (monomer) is prohibited in EU cosmetics but has active industrial GHS classifications (H315, H317, H335, H412, H227, H319, H336, H373).
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu_status; Chemicals: ghs_classifications.signal_word/hazard_statement_code
Function
Monomer — not intended for direct use in finished cosmetics; used in production of acrylate copolymers
Safety Rating
POOR
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
2-ethylhexyl prop-2-enoate
InChIKey
GOXQRTZXKQZDDN-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
prohibited
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Permitted as polymerized form; no specific CFR ban but monomer use would fail safety assessment
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Ethylhexyl Acrylate (monomer).
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
GHS Hazard Classification
Globally Harmonized System classification per ECHA C&L inventory and ILO/WHO International Chemical Safety Cards.
Short-term Exposure Effects
The substance is irritating to the eyes, skin and respiratory tract.
Long-term Exposure Effects
Repeated or prolonged contact may cause skin sensitization.
Routes of Exposure
The substance can be absorbed into the body by inhalation and by ingestion.
IARC Carcinogenicity
International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO) monograph evaluation.
IARC Group
2B
Volume
60, 122
Evaluation Year
2018
EU CLP Annex VI Harmonized Classification
Legally binding harmonized classification per Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 (CLP) Annex VI.
Signal Word
Warning
Pictograms
Harmful / Irritant
Hazard Class and Category
STOT SE 3; Skin Irrit. 2; Skin Sens. 1
Hazard Statements
- H335 May cause respiratory irritation
- H315 Causes skin irritation
- H317 May cause an allergic skin reaction
Inserted via ATP: CLP00
Sensitization AOP Dashboard
Adverse Outcome Pathway data across 5 assays (DPRA, KeratinoSens, hCLAT, LLNA, NESIL) aggregated from public sources.
DPRA Cys %
98.8%
DPRA Lys %
21.5%
KeratinoSens IC50
101 µM
hCLAT CV75
280 µg/mL
LLNA EC3
36.8%
NESIL
9200 µg/cm²
LLNA: Weak (1B)
GHS: 1B
Source: LLNA: Dearman et al. (2007); DPRA: Urbisch et al. 2015 [DOI:10.1016/j.yrtph.2014.12.008] | Takenouchi personal communication (undated); KS: Natsch et al. 2013 [DOI:10.1002/jat.2868]; hCLAT: Takenouchi et al. 2013 [DOI:10.2131/jts.38.599]
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
100,000 - 1,000,000 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
Hazard classification: Restricted (Annex XVII)
Expanded Dermal Absorption Data
Cross-database dermal penetration: EPA Dryad physics-based, Roberts Mendeley permeation, and SCCS-aggregated measured values.
Roberts Skin Permeation (Mendeley 2022)
MW: 184.27
Log Kow: 3.67
Log Kp: -1.8243453715551945
Log Jmax: -8.009658933572874
Source: Roberts_Cheruvu_Mendeley_2022
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (4)
Carcinogen Classification
2-Ethylhexyl acrylate | Group 2B: Possibly carcinogenic to humans | Volume 60: (1994) Some Industrial Chemicals | Volume 122: (2019) Isobutyl Nitrite, β-Picoline, and Some Acrylates
Source: International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
Evidence for Carcinogenicity
Evaluation: There is inadequate evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of ethylhexyl acrylate. There is limited evidence in experimental animals for the carcinogenicity of ethylhexyl acrylate. Overall evaluation: Ethylhexyl acrylate is not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans (Group 3).
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
ICSC Safety Card
0478
Source: ILO-WHO International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs)
Skin Eye Respiratory Irritation
A severe skin and eye irritant. | /Ethyl acrylate/ vapors are highly irritating to the nose, eyes and respiratory tract. It can cause corneal lesions, and inspiration of high concentrations of the vapors can lead to pulmonary edema. /acrylates/ | The lower molecular weight esters of acrylic acids are irritants to skin, eyes and mucous membranes. /Acrylic acid esters/
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Adhesion/cohesion promoter
Anti-stain agent
Binder
Regulatory List Membership (2)
California Proposition 65 (OEHHA)
FDA Indirect Food Contact Additives
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Ethylhexyl Acrylate (monomer).
Regulatory Flags
potential-allergen
prop65
Known Synonyms
Acido 2-propenoico, 2-etil hexil ester
EC No.: 203-080-7
BRN 1765828
EINECS 203-080-7
2-Ethyl-1-hexyl acrylate
1-Hexanol, 2-ethyl-, acrylate
2-Ethylhexylester kyseliny akrylove
UNII-HR49R9S6XG
Norsocryl 2-EHA
2EHA
EHA
2-ethylhexyl acrylate
203-080-7
Chemical Function
Binder
Adhesion/cohesion promoter
Anti-stain agent
Regulatory Lists
inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides
Indirect additives food contact (10/2018)
OEHHA Proposition 65 (1/2023)
air; Cons electronics mech appliances and machinery; detected; emissions; Europe
Arts and crafts/Office supplies - general arts and crafts supplies - arts and crafts paint; Europe
Arts and crafts/Office supplies - general arts and crafts supplies - arts and crafts paint; Europe
Arts and crafts/Office supplies - general arts and crafts supplies - arts and crafts paint; detected; Europe
air; Cons electronics mech appliances and machinery; detected; emissions; Europe
air; Cons electronics mech appliances and machinery; detected; emissions; Europe
air; Cons electronics mech appliances and machinery; detected; emissions; Europe
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
CHEMBL1574328
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ethylhexyl Acrylate (monomer) allowed in the EU?
Ethylhexyl Acrylate (monomer) EU regulatory status: prohibited. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Ethylhexyl Acrylate (monomer) do in cosmetics?
Ethylhexyl Acrylate (monomer) functions as: Monomer — not intended for direct use in finished cosmetics; used in production of acrylate copolymers. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 103-11-7.
Is Ethylhexyl Acrylate (monomer) used outside cosmetics?
Ethylhexyl Acrylate (monomer) 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 Ethylhexyl Acrylate (monomer) have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Ethylhexyl Acrylate (monomer) is prohibited in EU cosmetics but has active industrial GHS classifications (H315, H317, H335, H412, H227, H319, H336, H373).
Compliance Tools
Check Ethylhexyl Acrylate (monomer) 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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