Is Indole safe in cosmetics?
Indole has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
Good
Cosmetic Ingredient
Indole
Also known as: 2,3-Benzopyrole, Benzopyrrole, 1-Benzo(b)pyrrole, Caswell No. 498B, EINECS 204-420-7 (+5 more)
INCI: INDOLE
Indole (CAS 120-72-9) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Fragrance (perfuming agent); floral note at low concentrations (<0.1%). NOAEL 1430 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, pharmaceutical, and food safety data.
View industrial chemical safety profile for CAS 120-72-9 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Indole is classified GHS Danger (H302, H311, H318, H319) 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 (perfuming agent); floral note at low concentrations (<0.1%)
Safety Rating
GOOD
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
1H-indole
InChIKey
SIKJAQJRHWYJAI-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
No specific FDA restrictions; FEMA GRAS for flavor use; used under general fragrance exemption
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Indole.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Pre-Calculated Safety Assessment
Pre-calculated NOAEL → SED → MoS audit trail for Indole 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 | 648 | - | - |
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
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Regulatory (6)
JECFA Number
1301
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
JECFA Evaluation
1-BENZAZOLE | 2004 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 928-JECFA 63/55 | FAS 54-JECFA 63/195
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
JECFA Evaluation
BENZOPYRROLE | 2004 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 928-JECFA 63/55 | FAS 54-JECFA 63/195
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
JECFA Evaluation
1-BENZO(b)PYRROLE | 2004 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 928-JECFA 63/55 | FAS 54-JECFA 63/195
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
JECFA Evaluation
2,3-BENZOPYRROLE | 2004 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 928-JECFA 63/55 | FAS 54-JECFA 63/195
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 (4)
IFRA Fragrance Transparency List
EPA Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL)
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Consumer Product Chemical
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Indole.
Regulatory Flags
endocrine_disruptor
epa_safer_alternative
ifra_fragrance
fda_food_additive
jecfa_safe
NOAEL Studies Summary
View details ->Public NOAEL study rows linked to Indole by CAS number or substance name.
Studies
3
Lowest NOAEL
2760 mg/kg bw/day
Highest NOAEL
2760 mg/kg bw/day
ECHA_REACH_reach_study_results_dossiers_23-05-2023.zip
Known Synonyms
2,3-Benzopyrole
Benzopyrrole
1-Benzo(b)pyrrole
Caswell No. 498B
EINECS 204-420-7
EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 025000
FEMA No. 2593
UNII-8724FJW4M5
Indol
1H-indole
Chemical Function
Fragrance
Flavouring and nutrient
Regulatory Lists
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
detected; wastewater
active_ingredient; Europe; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Pesticides
Raw materials
detected; drinking_water; MN Chemical Screening
detected; drinking_water; MN Chemical Screening
IFRA Transparency
Europe
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
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
INDOLE
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL15844
SOURCE
EFSA / FDA GRAS
food_additives
Food Safety Data
Same-CAS food additive or FDA GRAS records from the core public database.
Food Name
INDOLE
ADI
No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent mg/kg bw
Food Category
flavoring
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Indole allowed in the EU?
Indole EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Indole do in cosmetics?
Indole functions as: Fragrance (perfuming agent); floral note at low concentrations (<0.1%). It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 120-72-9.
Is Indole used outside cosmetics?
Indole 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.
Does Indole have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Indole is classified GHS Danger (H302, H311, H318, H319) in the chemicals database but is allowed in EU cosmetics.
Compliance Tools
Check Indole 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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Chemical family
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