Is TBHQ (tert-Butylhydroquinone) safe in cosmetics?
TBHQ (tert-Butylhydroquinone) has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted. 7 toxicological study endpoint(s) are available in our database.
TBHQ (tert-Butylhydroquinone)
Also known as: t-Butylhydroquinone, 1,4-Benzenediol, 2-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-, 1,4-Benzenediol (1,1-dimethylethyl)-, BRN 0637923, EINECS 217-752-2 (+10 more)
INCI: TBHQ
TBHQ (tert-Butylhydroquinone) (CAS 1948-33-0) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Antioxidant, Masking, Perfuming. NOAEL 120 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 1948-33-0 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Function
Antioxidant, Masking, Perfuming
Safety Rating
GOOD
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
2-tert-butylbenzene-1,4-diol
InChIKey
BGNXCDMCOKJUMV-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
FDA-approved as direct food additive; CIR concluded safe ≤0.1% in cosmetics
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for TBHQ (tert-Butylhydroquinone).
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Toxicological Studies
7 study endpoints found for TBHQ (tert-Butylhydroquinone). 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 | 125 mg/kg bw/day | oral | dog | Chronic | COSMOS_DB |
| NOAEL | 231 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Carcinogenicity | COSMOS_DB |
| NOAEL | 250 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Chronic | COSMOS_DB |
| NOAEL | 277 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Reproductive | COSMOS_DB |
| NOAEL | 326 mg/kg bw/day | oral | rat | Developmental | COSMOS_DB |
| NOAEL | 600 mg/kg bw/day | oral | hamster | Subchronic | COSMOS_DB |
| NOAEL | 700 mg/kg bw/day | oral | mouse | Carcinogenicity | COSMOS_DB |
Pre-Calculated Safety Assessment
Pre-calculated NOAEL → SED → MoS audit trail for TBHQ (tert-Butylhydroquinone) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOAEL | =72 mg/kg-day | Dog | oral | chronic | EFSA |
| NOAEL | =72 mg/kg-day | Dog | oral | chronic | EFSA |
| ADI | <=0.7 mg/kg | Human | oral | - | WHO JECFA ADI |
| LEL | =1000 mg/kg-day | Rat | oral | subchronic | ToxRefDB |
| LEL | =200 mg/kg-day | Rat | oral | subchronic | ToxRefDB |
| LEL | =400 mg/kg-day | Rat | oral | subchronic | ToxRefDB |
| LEL | =200 mg/kg-day | Rat | oral | subchronic | ToxRefDB |
| LEL | =200 mg/kg-day | Rat | oral | subchronic | ToxRefDB |
| LEL | =750 mg/kg-day | Rat | oral | subchronic | ToxRefDB |
| LEL | =800 mg/kg-day | Rat | oral | subchronic | ToxRefDB |
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
100 - 1,000 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
Additional Ingredient Properties
1 property record from structured ingredient metadata.
baby_pediatric
{"cas_number": "CAS-FUNC-28", "ingredient_class": "other", "pediatric_safety_rating": "caution", "minimum_age_months": "12", "neonatal_safe": "no", "premature_infant_safe": "insufficient_data", "skin_barrier_maturity_consideration": "Synthetic antioxidant - scrutiny, limit babies", "transepidermal_absorption_risk_pediatric": "low", "systemic_exposure_concern_pediatric": "low", "dose_per_kg_body_we…
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (3)
Carcinogen Classification
No indication of carcinogenicity to humans (not listed by IARC).
Source: Toxin and Toxin Target Database (T3DB)
Carcinogen Classification
t-Butylhydroquinone | TR-459: Toxicology and Carcinogenesis Studies of t-Butylhydroquinone (CASRN 1948-33-0) in F344 Rats and B6C3F1 Mice (Feed Studies) (1997 ) | 06/20/95 | No Evidence | No Evidence | No Evidence | No Evidence | Under the conditions of this long-term feed study, there was no evidence of carcinogenic activity of t-butylhydroquinone in male or female F344/N rats exposed to
Source: NTP Technical Reports
Endocrine Disruptors
Potential endocrine disrupting compound
Source: NORMAN Suspect List Exchange
Regulatory (2)
JECFA Evaluation
TERTIARY BUTYLHYDROQUINONE | 1997 | 0-0.7 mg/kg bw | TRS 884-JECFA 49/11 | FAS 40-JECFA 49/3
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
Antioxidant
Deodorizer
Fragrance
Regulatory List Membership (2)
IFRA Fragrance Transparency List
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for TBHQ (tert-Butylhydroquinone).
Regulatory Flags
fragrance-component
ifra_fragrance
fda_food_additive
NOAEL Studies Summary
View details ->Public NOAEL study rows linked to TBHQ (tert-Butylhydroquinone) by CAS number or substance name.
Studies
7
Lowest NOAEL
125 mg/kg bw/day
Highest NOAEL
700 mg/kg bw/day
COSMOS_DB
Known Synonyms
t-Butylhydroquinone
1,4-Benzenediol, 2-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-
1,4-Benzenediol (1,1-dimethylethyl)-
BRN 0637923
EINECS 217-752-2
UNII-C12674942B
tert-Butylhydrochinone
Tertiary butylhydroquinone
2-Tertiary-butylhydroquinone
2-t-Butyl-1,4-benzenediol
2-tert-Butyl(1,4)hydroquinone
MTBHQ
Mono-tert-butylhydroquinone
t-Butyl hydroquinone
tertiary-Butylhydroquinone
Chemical Function
Antioxidant
Deodorizer
Fragrance
Regulatory Lists
IFRA Transparency
Canada; pharmaceutical
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
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
E319
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL242080
SOURCE
EFSA / FDA GRAS
food_additives
Food Safety Data
Same-CAS food additive or FDA GRAS records from the core public database.
Food Name
tert-Butylhydroquinone
E Number
E319
ADI
0.7 mg/kg bw
Food Category
preservative
Frequently Asked Questions
Is TBHQ (tert-Butylhydroquinone) allowed in the EU?
TBHQ (tert-Butylhydroquinone) EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does TBHQ (tert-Butylhydroquinone) do in cosmetics?
TBHQ (tert-Butylhydroquinone) functions as: Antioxidant, Masking, Perfuming. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 1948-33-0.
What is the NOAEL for TBHQ (tert-Butylhydroquinone)?
The NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect Level) for TBHQ (tert-Butylhydroquinone) is 125 mg/kg bw/day based on a Chronic study via oral route in dog. A total of 7 study endpoints are available. Source: COSMOS_DB.
Is TBHQ (tert-Butylhydroquinone) used outside cosmetics?
TBHQ (tert-Butylhydroquinone) 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 TBHQ (tert-Butylhydroquinone) 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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