Is Gamma-Caprolactone safe in cosmetics?
Gamma-Caprolactone has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
Good
Cosmetic Ingredient
Gamma-Caprolactone
Also known as: 5-Ethyldihydrofuran-2(3H)-one, 2(3H)-Furanone, 5-ethyldihydro-, 5-17-09-00040, BRN 0107260, EINECS 211-778-8 (+15 more)
INCI: GAMMA-CAPROLACTONE
Gamma-Caprolactone (CAS 695-06-7) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Fragrance ingredient. NOAEL 750 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 695-06-7 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Function
Fragrance ingredient
Safety Rating
GOOD
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
5-ethyloxolan-2-one
InChIKey
JBFHTYHTHYHCDJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Permitted — FEMA GRAS 2556; not listed in 21 CFR as prohibited/restricted
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Gamma-Caprolactone.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Pre-Calculated Safety Assessment
Pre-calculated NOAEL → SED → MoS audit trail for Gamma-Caprolactone across SCCS product categories, with measured dermal absorption where available.
Sensitization AOP Dashboard
Adverse Outcome Pathway data across 5 assays (DPRA, KeratinoSens, hCLAT, LLNA, NESIL) aggregated from public sources.
NESIL
8100 µg/cm²
GHS: 1B
Human: positive
Source: HPPT: [727] Epstein WL (1977): Reports to RIFM, 21 March & 31 May, unpublished.
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 | 8100 | - | - |
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
1 - 10 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Regulatory (3)
JECFA Number
223
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
JECFA Evaluation
4-HYDROXYHEXANOIC ACID LACTONE | 1997 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 884-JECFA 49/42 | FAS 40-JECFA 49/231
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
JECFA Evaluation
gamma-HEXALACTONE | 1997 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 884-JECFA 49/42 | FAS 40-JECFA 49/231
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Deodorizer
Flavouring and nutrient
Fragrance
Regulatory List Membership (3)
IFRA Fragrance Transparency List
EPA Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL)
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Gamma-Caprolactone.
Regulatory Flags
potential-allergen
epa_safer_alternative
ifra_fragrance
fda_food_additive
Known Synonyms
5-Ethyldihydrofuran-2(3H)-one
2(3H)-Furanone, 5-ethyldihydro-
5-17-09-00040
BRN 0107260
EINECS 211-778-8
4-Ethyl-4-butanolide
4-Ethyl-4-hydroxybutanoic acid lactone
FEMA No. 2556
Hexanoic acid, 4-hydroxy-, gamma-lactone
gamma-Hexanolactone
NSC 134769
NSC 24255
UNII-J16NAT1G41
4-Ethylbutanolide (gamma-hexalactone)
4-Hexanolide
4-Hydroxy-Hexanoate
4-Hydroxy-Hexanoic acid
4-Hydroxy-Hexanoic acid gamma-lactone
4-Hydroxy-Hexanoic acid lactone
4-Hydroxyhexanoate
Chemical Function
Deodorizer
Fragrance
Flavouring and nutrient
Regulatory Lists
inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides
artificial_saliva; detected; emissions; Europe; Toys and children's products
IFRA Transparency
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
SCIL (9/2019)
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
CHEMBL192458
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gamma-Caprolactone allowed in the EU?
Gamma-Caprolactone EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Gamma-Caprolactone do in cosmetics?
Gamma-Caprolactone functions as: Fragrance ingredient. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 695-06-7.
Is Gamma-Caprolactone used outside cosmetics?
Gamma-Caprolactone 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.
Compliance Tools
Check Gamma-Caprolactone 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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