Is Imidazole safe in cosmetics?
Imidazole has a safety rating of "POOR" in our database. EU status: prohibited. US status: restricted.
Imidazole
Also known as: 1H-Imidazole, 5-23-04-00191, BRN 0103853, EINECS 206-019-2, Formamidine, N,N'-vinylene- (+13 more)
INCI: IMIDAZOLE
Imidazole (CAS 288-32-4) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Buffering agent. NOAEL 60 mg/kg bw/day (cross-referenced against ToxValDB ECHA IUCLID); EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: prohibited; GHS signal word DANGER. 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 288-32-4 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Imidazole is prohibited in EU cosmetics but has active industrial GHS classifications (H302, H314, H318, H360, H360D, H361, H319, H371).
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu_status; Chemicals: ghs_classifications.signal_word/hazard_statement_code
Function
Buffering agent
Safety Rating
POOR
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
1H-imidazole
InChIKey
RAXXELZNTBOGNW-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
prohibited
US US Status
restricted
US Notes
Not specifically restricted by FDA for cosmetics, but classified as reproductive toxicant; no CIR 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 Imidazole.
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.
Signal Word
DANGER
Pictograms
CorrExcl markWarnCancerHealth haz
Hazard Statements
Harmful if swallowed Causes severe skin burns and eye damage Suspected of damaging fertility or the unborn child
Short-term Exposure Effects
The substance is corrosive to the skin. The substance is severely irritating to the eyes. The substance is irritating to the respiratory tract.
Long-term Exposure Effects
Animal tests show that this substance possibly causes toxicity to human reproduction or development.
Routes of Exposure
The substance can be absorbed into the body by ingestion.
Pre-Calculated Safety Assessment
Pre-calculated NOAEL → SED → MoS audit trail for Imidazole across SCCS product categories, with measured dermal absorption where available.
EU CLP Annex VI Harmonized Classification
Legally binding harmonized classification per Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 (CLP) Annex VI.
Signal Word
Danger
Pictograms
Health HazardHarmful / IrritantCorrosive
Hazard Class and Category
Repr. 1B; Acute Tox. 4; Skin Corr. 1C
Hazard Statements
- H360D
- H302 Harmful if swallowed
- H314 Causes severe skin burns and eye damage
Inserted via ATP: ATP07
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
10 - 100 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
Hazard classification: Restricted (Annex XVII)
EU CosIng Annex Listing
European Commission CosIng database Annex references per Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009.
Annex II — Prohibited
Ref: 1589
(EU) 2019/831
CMR: Reprotoxic Cat. 1B()
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 (II - Prohibited)
ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (II)
Ref: 1589
BRIN Brazil/India Cosmetics
India: Prohibited (GNRAS)
Additional Jurisdictional Restrictions (1)
| Jurisdiction | Status | Max % | Product Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN | banned | - | - |
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (1)
ICSC Safety Card
1721
Source: ILO-WHO International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Catalyst
Chemical reaction regulator
Hardener
pH regulating agent
Regulatory List Membership (2)
EU Banned in Cosmetics
EU CosIng Cosmetics Ingredient Database
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Imidazole.
Regulatory Flags
eu_banned_cosmetics
eu_cosing_listed
NOAEL Studies Summary
View details ->Public NOAEL study rows linked to Imidazole by CAS number or substance name.
Studies
24
Lowest NOAEL
30 mg/kg bw/day
Highest NOAEL
1000 mg/kg bw/day
ECHA_REACH_reach_study_results_dossiers_23-05-2023.zip
Known Synonyms
1H-Imidazole
5-23-04-00191
BRN 0103853
EINECS 206-019-2
Formamidine, N,N'-vinylene-
USAF EK-4733
NSC 51860
Glioksal
UNII-7GBN705NH1
Him
IMD
Imutex
N,N'-1,2-ethenediylmethanimidamide
N,N'-vinyleneformamidine
Pyrro(b)monazole
iminazole
pyrro[b]monazole
{Pyrro[b]monazole}
Chemical Function
pH regulating agent
Catalyst
Hardener
Chemical reaction regulator
Regulatory Lists
Canada; pharmaceutical
Canada; pharmaceutical
banned; Europe; Personal care
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
IMIDAZOLE
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL540
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Imidazole allowed in the EU?
Imidazole EU regulatory status: prohibited. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Imidazole do in cosmetics?
Imidazole functions as: Buffering agent. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 288-32-4.
Is Imidazole classified as hazardous under GHS?
Imidazole carries a GHS signal word of "DANGER". Hazard statements: Harmful if swallowed Causes severe skin burns and eye damage Suspected of damaging fertility or the unborn child. This classification is based on the ILO/WHO International Chemical Safety Card and ECHA C&L inventory data. Note: GHS classification applies to the pure substance — at cosmetic use concentrations, hazard thresholds may not be met.
Is Imidazole used outside cosmetics?
Imidazole 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 Imidazole have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Imidazole is prohibited in EU cosmetics but has active industrial GHS classifications (H302, H314, H318, H360, H360D, H361, H319, H371).
Compliance Tools
Check Imidazole 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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