Is Phenylparaben safe in cosmetics?
Phenylparaben has a safety rating of "POOR" in our database. EU status: prohibited. US status: restricted.
Poor
Cosmetic Ingredient
Phenylparaben
Also known as: EINECS 241-698-9, UNII-B15A4L4Y1J
INCI: PHENYLPARABEN
Phenylparaben (CAS 17696-62-7) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Preservative (antimicrobial). 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 17696-62-7 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Phenylparaben is prohibited in EU cosmetics but has active industrial GHS classifications (H315, H319).
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu_status; Chemicals: ghs_classifications.signal_word/hazard_statement_code
Function
Preservative (antimicrobial)
Safety Rating
POOR
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
phenyl 4-hydroxybenzoate
InChIKey
GJLNWLVPAHNBQN-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
prohibited
US US Status
restricted
US Notes
FDA not specifically banned but not commonly used; insufficient safety data
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Phenylparaben.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
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
EU CosIng Annex Listing
European Commission CosIng database Annex references per Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009.
Annex II — Prohibited
Ref: 1376
(EU) 2014/358
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: 1376
BRIN Brazil/India Cosmetics
Brazil: Prohibited
India: Prohibited (GNRAS)
Additional Jurisdictional Restrictions (1)
| Jurisdiction | Status | Max % | Product Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| KR | prohibited | - | - |
Additional Ingredient Properties
1 property record from structured ingredient metadata.
regulatory
{"eu_status": "banned", "us_status": "restricted", "eu_max_concentration": "0", "restricted_in": "all products", "ban_date": "2014-10-30", "regulation_reference": "Annex II/1115"}
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (1)
Endocrine Disruptors
Potential endocrine disrupting compound
Source: NORMAN Suspect List Exchange
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Biocide
Regulatory List Membership (2)
EU Banned in Cosmetics
EU CosIng Cosmetics Ingredient Database
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Phenylparaben.
Regulatory Flags
preservative
eu_banned_cosmetics
eu_cosing_listed
Known Synonyms
EINECS 241-698-9
UNII-B15A4L4Y1J
Chemical Function
Biocide
Regulatory Lists
banned; Europe; Personal care
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
CHEMBL3184274
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phenylparaben allowed in the EU?
Phenylparaben EU regulatory status: prohibited. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Phenylparaben do in cosmetics?
Phenylparaben functions as: Preservative (antimicrobial). It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 17696-62-7.
Is Phenylparaben used outside cosmetics?
Phenylparaben 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 Phenylparaben have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Phenylparaben is prohibited in EU cosmetics but has active industrial GHS classifications (H315, H319).
Compliance Tools
Check Phenylparaben 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
Related Ingredients
Dipotassium EDTA
Excellent
Same category
Chelating agent; preservative booster
Glyceryl Caprylate/Caprate
Excellent
Same category
Emulsifier; Humectant; Softener and c...
Hexanediol (1,2-Hexanediol)
Excellent
Same category
Solvent, humectant, emollient, preser...
Phenethyl Alcohol
Excellent
Same category
Fragrance ingredient; preservative (a...
Polyepsilon-Lysine
Excellent
Same category
Preservative (antimicrobial); hair co...
Sodium Lauriminodipropionate Tocopheryl Phosphate
Excellent
Same category
Antistatic, cleansing, foaming, hair ...
1,2,4-Benzenetriacetate
Poor
Similar safety
Hair dye precursor (triacetyl ester o...
1,2,4-Trihydroxybenzene
Poor
Similar safety
Hair colorant (auto-oxidative dye)
1,3-Bis-(Isocyanatomethyl) Cyclohexane
Poor
Similar safety
Monomer / cross-linking agent used in...
1,4-Butanediol
Poor
Similar safety
Solvent, humectant, viscosity control...
1,6-Hexamethylene Diisocyanate (HDI)
Poor
Similar safety
Monomer and crosslinker in polymer sy...
1,6-Hexanediamine
Poor
Similar safety
Industrial chemical (nylon monomer); ...
TEA-Sorbate
Good
Chemical family
Preservative (exclusively)
PHELLODENDRON AMURENSE BARK/GARDENIA FLORIDA FRUIT/(COPTIS JAPONICA/DIOSCOREA JAPONICA/LICORICE/PAEONIA SUFFRUTICOSA/PUERARIA LOBATA/REHMANNIA CHINENSIS/SCUTELLARIA BAICALENSIS/SOPHORA FLAVESCENS ROOT) WATER
Good
Browse nearby
Skin Conditioning - Miscellaneous
PHELLODENDRON AMURENSE BARK/HONEYSUCKLE FLOWER/(ECLIPTA PROSTRATA/MENTHA ARVENSIS LEAF)/SCUTELLARIA BAICALENSIS ROOT EXTRACT
Good
Browse nearby
Skin Conditioning
Is Phenylparaben in Your Products?
Scan any product label with Piro — our free ingredient scanner. Point your camera at the ingredients list and get instant safety scores for every ingredient.
Try Piro Free →Analyze Your Full Ingredient List
Paste any INCI list into the Decoder for instant safety analysis, or calculate the Margin of Safety for Phenylparaben in your formulation.