Moderate Cosmetic Ingredient NOAEL Data GHS Classified

Potassium Nitrate

Also known as: Nitric acid potassium salt, Nitric acid potassium salt (1:1), KNO3, Caswell No. 697, EINECS 231-818-8 (+12 more)

Potassium Nitrate (CAS 7757-79-1) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Biocide; Dye; Flavouring and nutrient; Humectant; No specific technical. NOAEL 1500 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 7757-79-1 →

Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
CAS Number
7757-79-1
View industrial chemical safety profile →
Function
Biocide; Dye; Flavouring and nutrient; Humectant; No specific technical function; Pharmaceutical
Safety Rating
MODERATE

Chemistry & Identifiers

Formula
KNO3
MW
101.103 g/mol
EC Number
231-818-8
PubChem CID
24434
IUPAC Name
potassium nitrate
InChIKey
FGIUAXJPYTZDNR-UHFFFAOYSA-N
ChEBI: CHEBI:63043 UNII: RU45X2JN0Z Wikidata: Q177836

Regulatory Status

EU EU Status permitted
US US Status permitted

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 Nitrate.

Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.

Toxicological Studies

10 study endpoints found for Potassium Nitrate. 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 26 mg/kg bw/day oral rat Neurotoxicity COSMOS DB
NOAEL 29 mg/kg bw/day oral rat Chronic COSMOS DB
NOAEL 50 mg/kg bw/day oral mouse Special Toxicology Study COSMOS DB
NOAEL 200 mg/kg bw/day oral rabbit Short Term Toxicity COSMOS DB
NOAEL 225 mg/kg bw/day oral mouse Short Term Toxicity COSMOS DB
NOAEL 250 mg/kg bw/day oral rat Special Toxicology Study COSMOS DB
NOAEL 737 mg/kg bw/day oral rabbit Developmental COSMOS DB
NOAEL =180 mg/kg bw/day oral Rat developmental ECHA
NOAEL =280 mg/kg bw/day oral Hamster developmental ECHA
NOAEL =400 mg/kg bw/day oral Mouse developmental ECHA

GHS Hazard Classification

Globally Harmonized System classification per ECHA C&L inventory and ILO/WHO International Chemical Safety Cards.

Short-term Exposure Effects
The substance is irritating to the eyes, skin and respiratory tract. Ingestion could cause effects on the blood. This may result in the formation of methaemoglobin. The effects may be delayed. Medical observation is indicated.
Routes of Exposure
The substance can be absorbed into the body by inhalation of its aerosol and by ingestion.

Pre-Calculated Safety Assessment

Pre-calculated NOAEL → SED → MoS audit trail for Potassium Nitrate across SCCS product categories, with measured dermal absorption where available.

EPA ToxValDB — Toxicity Values

10 toxicity values from EPA ToxValDB (aggregated from CCTE, HPV, ToxRefDB, IRIS, and other regulatory dossiers).

Endpoint Value Species Route Duration Source
LOEL =120 mg/L Rat oral short-term (developmental) ECOTOX
LOEL =120 mg/L Rat oral - ECOTOX
NOAEL =280 mg/kg-day Hamster oral - ECHA
NOAEL =180 mg/kg-day Rat oral - ECHA
NOAEL =400 mg/kg-day Mouse oral - ECHA
NOAEL >=1500 mg/kg-day Rat oral - ECHA
NOAEL >=1500 mg/kg-day Rat oral subchronic ECHA
LD50 =1901 mg/kg Rabbit oral - ChemIDplus
LD50 =3750 mg/kg Rat oral - ChemIDplus
LOAEL =1130 mg/kg-day Guinea Pig oral - DOE Wildlife Benchmarks

ECHA REACH Registration

European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.

Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
1,000,000 - 10,000,000 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No

Additional Ingredient Properties

1 property record from structured ingredient metadata.

oral_care
{"cas_number": "7757-79-1", "ingredient_class": "desensitizing_agent", "function_primary": "Desensitizing agent", "fluoride_content_ppm_if_applicable": "0", "desensitizing_mechanism": "Nerve depolarization - potassium ions calm nerve activity in pulp", "onset_of_desensitization": "2-4 weeks", "duration_of_relief": "Requires continuous use", "pH_of_ingredient": "6.0-7.5", "pH_in_formulation_typical…

PubChem Annotations

Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.

Safety (3)
Carcinogen Classification
Ingested nitrate or nitrite under conditions that result in endogenous nitrosation is probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A). (L135)
Source: Toxin and Toxin Target Database (T3DB)
ICSC Safety Card
0184
Source: WHO/JECFA
Skin Eye Respiratory Irritation
... /Potassium nitrate/ is irritating to the eyes, the skin and the respiratory tract.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Regulatory (2)
JECFA Evaluation
POTASSIUM NITRATE | 1995 | 0-3.7 mg/kg bw | Expressed as nitrate ion; ADI does not apply to infants below the age of 3 months. | TRS 859-JECFA 44/29,32 | FAS 35-JECFA 44/325
Source: WHO/JECFA
EU Food Improvement
Food additives
Source: EU Food Improvement Agents

Function Categories & List Membership

Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Biocide Dye Flavouring and nutrient Humectant No specific technical function Pharmaceutical
Regulatory List Membership (1)
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)

Expert Verdict

Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Potassium Nitrate.

Regulatory Flags

fda_food_additive

NOAEL Studies Summary

View details ->

Public NOAEL study rows linked to Potassium Nitrate by CAS number or substance name.

Studies
10
Lowest NOAEL
26 mg/kg bw/day
Highest NOAEL
737 mg/kg bw/day
COSMOS DB ECHA

Known Synonyms

Nitric acid potassium salt Nitric acid potassium salt (1:1) KNO3 Caswell No. 697 EINECS 231-818-8 EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 076103 Kalii nitras NSC 57632 Potassium nitrate(DOT) Vicknite UNII-RU45X2JN0Z Niter Nitrate of potash Nitre Salt peter Saltpeter saltpetre

Chemical Function

Pharmaceutical Humectant No specific technical function Biocide Flavouring and nutrient Dye

Regulatory Lists

active_ingredient; 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 active_ingredient; Pesticides active_ingredient; Pesticides inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides active_ingredient; Pesticides active_ingredient; Pesticides active_ingredient; Pesticides active_ingredient; Pesticides active_ingredient; Pesticides active_ingredient; Pesticides

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
POTASSIUM NITRATE
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL1644029
Max Phase
4
Adverse Event Associations
19
View full pharmaceutical profile →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Potassium Nitrate safe in cosmetics?

Potassium Nitrate has a safety rating of "MODERATE" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted. 10 toxicological study endpoint(s) are available in our database.

Is Potassium Nitrate allowed in the EU?

Potassium Nitrate EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.

What does Potassium Nitrate do in cosmetics?

Potassium Nitrate functions as: Biocide; Dye; Flavouring and nutrient; Humectant; No specific technical function; Pharmaceutical. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 7757-79-1.

What is the NOAEL for Potassium Nitrate?

The NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect Level) for Potassium Nitrate is 26 mg/kg bw/day based on a Neurotoxicity study via oral route in rat. A total of 10 study endpoints are available. Source: COSMOS DB.

Is Potassium Nitrate used outside cosmetics?

Potassium Nitrate 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 Potassium Nitrate have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?

Potassium Nitrate is classified GHS Danger (H272, H315, H319, H335, H361, H370, H372, H303) in the chemicals database but is allowed in EU cosmetics.

Compliance Tools

Check Potassium Nitrate compliance across multiple jurisdictions:

Ingredient Decoder
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82 Allergen Checker
Check for EU declarable fragrance allergens
Substance Compliance
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MoS Calculator
Calculate Margin of Safety using SCCS methodology
Heavy Metal Limits
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