Is Potassium Salicylate safe in cosmetics?
Potassium Salicylate has a safety rating of "MODERATE" in our database. EU status: restricted. US status: permitted.
Moderate
Cosmetic Ingredient
Potassium Salicylate
Also known as: EINECS 209-421-6, UNII-K91YT16P5M, Salicylic acid potassium salt
INCI: POTASSIUM SALICYLATE
Potassium Salicylate (CAS 578-36-9) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Antimicrobial, preservative. EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: restricted, max 0.5%. 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 578-36-9 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Potassium Salicylate is classified GHS Danger (H302, H318) in the chemicals database but is restricted in EU cosmetics at max 0.5%.
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu_status/eu_max; Chemicals: ghs_classifications.signal_word/hazard_statement_code
Function
Antimicrobial, preservative
Safety Rating
MODERATE
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
potassium 2-hydroxybenzoate
InChIKey
FRMWBRPWYBNAFB-UHFFFAOYSA-M
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
restricted
EU Max Conc.
0.5%
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Permitted in cosmetics; salicylic acid also classified as an OTC drug active at specific concentrations
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 Salicylate.
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
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Preservative
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Potassium Salicylate.
Regulatory Flags
preservative
Known Synonyms
EINECS 209-421-6
UNII-K91YT16P5M
Salicylic acid potassium salt
Chemical Function
Preservative
Regulatory Lists
Canada; consumer_product; Substances in Products - Canada (4/2014)
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 SALICYLATE
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL3707342
Max Phase
-1
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Potassium Salicylate allowed in the EU?
Potassium Salicylate EU regulatory status: restricted. Maximum allowed concentration: 0.5%. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Potassium Salicylate do in cosmetics?
Potassium Salicylate functions as: Antimicrobial, preservative. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 578-36-9.
Is Potassium Salicylate used outside cosmetics?
Potassium Salicylate 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 Salicylate have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Potassium Salicylate is classified GHS Danger (H302, H318) in the chemicals database but is restricted in EU cosmetics at max 0.5%.
Compliance Tools
Check Potassium Salicylate 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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