Is Succinic Acid safe in cosmetics?
Succinic Acid has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
Good
Cosmetic Ingredient
Succinic Acid
Also known as: 4-02-00-01908, BRN 1754069, EINECS 203-740-4, Ethylene dicarboxylic acid, Ethylenesuccinic acid (+13 more)
INCI: SUCCINIC ACID
Succinic Acid (CAS 110-15-6) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Buffering agent, pH adjuster, mild exfoliant, antimicrobial. NOAEL 166.667 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 110-15-6 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Succinic Acid is classified GHS Danger (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
Buffering agent, pH adjuster, mild exfoliant, antimicrobial
Safety Rating
GOOD
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
butanedioic acid
InChIKey
KDYFGRWQOYBRFD-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
No FDA restrictions for cosmetic use. Not classified as a drug or sunscreen active. CIR Dicarboxylic Acids review draft presented June 2025; final safety conclusion pending. No ADI established by EU for food additive E 363.
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Succinic Acid.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Pre-Calculated Safety Assessment
Pre-calculated NOAEL → SED → MoS audit trail for Succinic Acid across SCCS product categories, with measured dermal absorption where available.
EPA ToxValDB — Toxicity Values
6 toxicity values from EPA ToxValDB (aggregated from CCTE, HPV, ToxRefDB, IRIS, and other regulatory dossiers).
| Endpoint | Value | Species | Route | Duration | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOEL | =75.6 mg/L | Mouse | oral | short-term | ECOTOX |
| NOEL | =75.6 mg/L | Mouse | oral | short-term | ECOTOX |
| LD50 | =2260 mg/kg | Rat | oral | - | ChemIDplus |
| LD50 | =2260 mg/kg | Rat | oral | - | HPVIS |
| LD50 | >8000 mg/kg | Rat | oral | - | HPVIS |
| LOAEL | =500 mg/kg-day | Rat | injection | - | HPVIS |
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
10,000 - 100,000 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
Additional Ingredient Properties
1 property record from structured ingredient metadata.
microbiome
{"cas_number": "110-15-6", "ingredient_class": "postbiotic", "microbial_source_genus": "Lactobacillus", "microbial_source_species": "various", "fermentation_substrate": "glucose", "live_organism_content": "no", "bioactive_components": "organic_acids", "molecular_weight_range_Da": "118", "pH_of_ingredient": "2.5-4.5", "mechanism_of_action": "pH_modulation/antioxidant", "skin_microbiome_effect": "ba…
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (2)
Carcinogen Classification
Not listed by IARC. Has been implicated in oncogenesis (A15088).
Source: Toxin and Toxin Target Database (T3DB)
Skin Eye Respiratory Irritation
Primary irritant effects are present with a number of ... /aliphatic dicarboxylic/ acids, particularly in concentrated solution or as dusts- sensitization is rare. /Aliphatic dicarboxylic acids/
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Regulatory (1)
EU Food Improvement
Food additives
Source: EU Food Improvement Agents
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Deodorizer
Flavouring and nutrient
Fragrance
pH regulating agent
Regulatory List Membership (2)
IFRA Fragrance Transparency List
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Succinic Acid.
Regulatory Flags
eye-irritant
cir-review-pending
no-sccs-opinion
ph-dependent-activity
eye-area-caution
ifra_fragrance
fda_food_additive
Known Synonyms
4-02-00-01908
BRN 1754069
EINECS 203-740-4
Ethylene dicarboxylic acid
Ethylenesuccinic acid
Kyselina jantarova
UNII-AB6MNQ6J6L
Succinicum acidum
1,2-Ethanedicarboxylate
1,4-Butanedioate
Butandisaeure
Dihydrofumarate
E363
HOOC-CH2-CH2-COOH
Succinate
acide butanedioique
acidum succinicum
spirit of amber
Chemical Function
Deodorizer
pH regulating agent
Fragrance
Flavouring and nutrient
Regulatory Lists
Canada; consumer_product; Substances in Products - Canada (4/2014)
inert_ingredient; Pesticides
inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides
active_ingredient; Europe; Pesticides
IFRA Transparency
Europe
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
Canada; pharmaceutical
Canada; pharmaceutical
Canada; pharmaceutical
Canada; pharmaceutical
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
SUCCINIC ACID
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL576
Max Phase
3
Adverse Event Associations
2
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Succinic Acid allowed in the EU?
Succinic Acid EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Succinic Acid do in cosmetics?
Succinic Acid functions as: Buffering agent, pH adjuster, mild exfoliant, antimicrobial. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 110-15-6.
Is Succinic Acid used outside cosmetics?
Succinic Acid 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 Succinic Acid have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Succinic Acid is classified GHS Danger (H318, H319) in the chemicals database but is allowed in EU cosmetics.
Compliance Tools
Check Succinic Acid 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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