Is Potassium Bicarbonate safe in cosmetics?
Potassium Bicarbonate has a safety rating of "EXCELLENT" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted. 10 toxicological study endpoint(s) are available in our database.
Potassium Bicarbonate
Also known as: EINECS 206-059-0, EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 073508, UNII-HM5Z15LEBN, E501, KHCO3
INCI: POTASSIUM BICARBONATE
Potassium Bicarbonate (CAS 298-14-6) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Buffering agent, pH adjuster. NOAEL 3593.5 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 298-14-6 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Function
Buffering agent, pH adjuster
Safety Rating
EXCELLENT
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
potassium hydrogen carbonate
InChIKey
TYJJADVDDVDEDZ-UHFFFAOYSA-M
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe); approved inactive ingredient in oral drug products (1.06–500 mg); CIR concluded safe when formulated to be non-irritating
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Potassium Bicarbonate.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Toxicological Studies
10 study endpoints found for Potassium Bicarbonate. NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect Level) values are used to calculate the Margin of Safety per SCCS methodology.
| Endpoint | Value | Route | Species | Study Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOAEL | 345 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Special Toxicology Study | COSMOS_DB |
| NOAEL | 931 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Carcinogenicity | COSMOS_DB |
| NOAEL | 941 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Carcinogenicity | COSMOS_DB |
| NOAEL | 2000 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Subchronic | COSMOS_DB |
| NOAEL | 2500 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Subchronic | COSMOS_DB |
| NOAEL | 3133 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Subchronic | COSMOS_DB |
| NOAEL | 4000 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Short Term Toxicity | COSMOS_DB |
| NOAEL | 4300 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Subchronic | COSMOS_DB |
| NOAEL | 4385 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Short Term Toxicity | COSMOS_DB |
| NOAEL | =2861 mg/kg bw/day | oral | Rat | chronic | ToxValDB_ECHA_IUCLID |
Pre-Calculated Safety Assessment
Pre-calculated NOAEL → SED → MoS audit trail for Potassium Bicarbonate across SCCS product categories, with measured dermal absorption where available.
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
1,000 - 10,000 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
Additional Ingredient Properties
1 property record from structured ingredient metadata.
mineral_clay
{"cas_number": "298-14-6", "ingredient_class": "other", "chemical_formula": "KHCO3", "mineral_origin": "synthetic", "particle_size_range_um": "10-500", "surface_area_m2_per_g": "0.5-5", "crystal_structure": "monoclinic", "color_appearance": "white", "opacity": "opaque", "refractive_index": "2.17", "oil_absorption_g_per_100g": "45-140", "water_absorption_capacity": "low", "surface_charge_at_pH_7": …
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Regulatory (2)
JECFA Evaluation
POTASSIUM HYDROGEN CARBONATE | 1965 | NOT LIMITED | Included in the group ADI for hydrogen carbonates | NMRS 40/TRS 339-JECFA 9/16 | FAS 67.29/NMRS 40A,B,C-JECFA 9/155
Source: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
EU Food Improvement
Food additives
Source: EU Food Improvement Agents
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Biocide
Flavouring and nutrient
Leavening agent
Other
Pharmaceutical disintegrant
Processing aids not otherwise specified
Stabilizing agent
pH regulating agent
Regulatory List Membership (2)
EPA Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL)
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Potassium Bicarbonate.
Regulatory Flags
epa_safer_alternative
fda_food_additive
NOAEL Studies Summary
View details ->Public NOAEL study rows linked to Potassium Bicarbonate by CAS number or substance name.
Studies
11
Lowest NOAEL
345 mg/kg bw/day
Highest NOAEL
4385 mg/kg bw/day
COSMOS_DB
ToxValDB_ECHA_IUCLID
Known Synonyms
EINECS 206-059-0
EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 073508
UNII-HM5Z15LEBN
E501
KHCO3
Chemical Function
pH regulating agent
Stabilizing agent
Pharmaceutical disintegrant
Processing aids not otherwise specified
Other
Biocide
Flavouring and nutrient
Leavening agent
Regulatory Lists
inert_ingredient; Pesticides
inert_ingredient; Pesticides
inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides
active_ingredient; agricultural; applied; fruits_and_vegetables; Pesticides
active_ingredient; agricultural; applied; fruits_and_vegetables; Pesticides
active_ingredient; agricultural; applied; fruits_and_vegetables; Pesticides
active_ingredient; agricultural; applied; fruits_and_vegetables; Pesticides
active_ingredient; agricultural; applied; fruits_and_vegetables; Pesticides
active_ingredient; agricultural; applied; fruits_and_vegetables; Pesticides
active_ingredient; agricultural; applied; fruits_and_vegetables; Pesticides
active_ingredient; agricultural; applied; fruits_and_vegetables; Pesticides
active_ingredient; agricultural; applied; fruits_and_vegetables; Pesticides
active_ingredient; agricultural; applied; fruits_and_vegetables; Pesticides
active_ingredient; agricultural; applied; fruits_and_vegetables; Pesticides
active_ingredient; agricultural; Pesticides
active_ingredient; agricultural; applied; fruits_and_vegetables; Pesticides
active_ingredient; agricultural; applied; fruits_and_vegetables; organic; Pesticides
active_ingredient; agricultural; Pesticides
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
POTASSIUM BICARBONATE
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL2106975
Max Phase
2
Adverse Event Associations
187
SOURCE
EFSA / FDA GRAS
food_additives
Food Safety Data
Same-CAS food additive or FDA GRAS records from the core public database.
Food Name
Potassium bicarbonate
E Number
E501ii
ADI
NOT LIMITED mg/kg bw
Food Category
flavor_enhancer
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Potassium Bicarbonate allowed in the EU?
Potassium Bicarbonate EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Potassium Bicarbonate do in cosmetics?
Potassium Bicarbonate functions as: Buffering agent, pH adjuster. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 298-14-6.
What is the NOAEL for Potassium Bicarbonate?
The NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect Level) for Potassium Bicarbonate is 345 mg/kg bw/day based on a Special Toxicology Study study via oral route in rat. A total of 10 study endpoints are available. Source: COSMOS_DB.
Is Potassium Bicarbonate used outside cosmetics?
Potassium Bicarbonate 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.
Compliance Tools
Check Potassium Bicarbonate 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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