Is Triethylene Glycol safe in cosmetics?
Triethylene Glycol has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
Triethylene Glycol
Also known as: Ethanol, 2,2'-[1,2-ethanediylbis(oxy)]bis-, 4-01-00-02400, Bis(2-hydroxyethoxyethane), BRN 0969357, Caswell No. 888 (+14 more)
INCI: TRIETHYLENE GLYCOL
Triethylene Glycol (CAS 112-27-6) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Fragrance ingredient, solvent, viscosity decreasing agent, humectant. 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 112-27-6 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Triethylene Glycol is classified GHS Danger (H302, H312, H314, H412) in the chemicals database but is allowed in EU cosmetics.
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu_status; Chemicals: ghs_classifications.signal_word/hazard_statement_code
Function
Fragrance ingredient, solvent, viscosity decreasing agent, humectant
Safety Rating
GOOD
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
2-[2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)ethoxy]ethanol
InChIKey
ZIBGPFATKBEMQZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
CIR Expert Panel concluded safe in present practices and concentrations of use
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Triethylene Glycol.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
GHS Hazard Classification
Globally Harmonized System classification per ECHA C&L inventory and ILO/WHO International Chemical Safety Cards.
Routes of Exposure
The substance can be absorbed into the body by inhalation of its vapour.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEL | =55279 mg/m3 | Human | inhalation | - | DOE Protective Action Criteria |
| LEL | =11270 mg/kg-day | Mouse | oral | short-term (developmental) | ToxRefDB |
| LEL | =11270 mg/kg-day | Mouse | oral | short-term (developmental) | ToxRefDB |
| LEL | >2250 mg/kg-day | Rabbit | injection | - | ToxRefDB |
| LEL | >2250 mg/kg-day | Rabbit | injection | - | ToxRefDB |
| LOAEL | =11270 mg/kg-day | Mouse | oral | short-term (developmental) | ToxRefDB |
| LOAEL | =11270 mg/kg-day | Mouse | oral | short-term (developmental) | ToxRefDB |
| LOAEL | >2250 mg/kg-day | Rabbit | injection | - | ToxRefDB |
| LOAEL | >2250 mg/kg-day | Rabbit | injection | - | ToxRefDB |
| NEL | =4500 mg/kg-day | Mouse | oral | short-term (developmental) | ToxRefDB |
HRIPT Human Patch Test Studies
1 human repeat insult patch test aggregated from dermatological literature.
| Test Type | N | Sensitized | Dose µg/cm² | NESIL µg/cm² | Potency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMT | - | 0 | 13500 | - | - |
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
2 property records from structured ingredient metadata.
baby_pediatric
{"cas_number": "CAS-FUNC-8", "ingredient_class": "other", "pediatric_safety_rating": "good", "minimum_age_months": "3", "neonatal_safe": "no", "premature_infant_safe": "insufficient_data", "skin_barrier_maturity_consideration": "Functional ingredient - generally safe", "transepidermal_absorption_risk_pediatric": "low", "systemic_exposure_concern_pediatric": "low", "dose_per_kg_body_weight_concern"…
humectant
{"cas_number": "112-27-6", "ingredient_class": "humectant/polyol", "molecular_weight_Da": "150.17", "chemical_type": "polyol", "water_binding_mechanism": "hydrogen_bonding/hygroscopic", "water_holding_capacity_g_per_g": "0.5-0.7", "hygroscopicity_at_50_RH": "good", "hygroscopicity_at_80_RH": "excellent", "NMF_component": "no", "NMF_percentage_natural": "0", "TEWL_reduction_pct": "15-25", "skin_hyd…
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (2)
ICSC Safety Card
1160
Source: ILO-WHO International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs)
Skin Eye Respiratory Irritation
... /Irritant to/ ... eyes
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Biocide
Deodorizer
Fragrance
Monomers
Pigment
Plasticizer
Solubility enhancer
Solvent
Viscosity modifier
Wetting agent (non-aqueous)
Regulatory List Membership (4)
EU Restricted for Children (Cosmetics)
IFRA Fragrance Transparency List
FDA Indirect Food Contact Additives
Consumer Product Chemical
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Triethylene Glycol.
Regulatory Flags
fragrance-component
endocrine_disruptor
eu_children_restricted
ifra_fragrance
Known Synonyms
Ethanol, 2,2'-[1,2-ethanediylbis(oxy)]bis-
4-01-00-02400
Bis(2-hydroxyethoxyethane)
BRN 0969357
Caswell No. 888
EINECS 203-953-2
EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 083501
Ethanol, 2,2'-(ethylenedioxy)di-
Ethylene glycol dihydroxydiethyl ether
Ethylene glycol-bis-(2-hydroxyethyl ether)
2,2'-Ethylenedioxyethanol
Triethyleneglycol
UNII-3P5SU53360
2,2'-[ethane-1,2-diylbis(oxy)]diethanol
2-[2-(2-HYDROXY-ETHOXY)-ETHOXY]-ETHANOL
2-[2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)ethoxy]ethanol
TEG
Triethylenglykol
di-beta-hydroxyethoxyethane
Chemical Function
Fragrance
Deodorizer
Viscosity modifier
Solvent
Pigment
Monomers
Regulatory Lists
Europe; plastic_additive
active_ingredient; Europe; Pesticides
inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides
Canada; consumer_product; Substances in Products - Canada (4/2014)
artificial_saliva; detected; emissions; Europe; Toys and children's products
air; detected; emissions; Europe; Vehicle - car interior - auto air freshener
drinking_water; Europe; manufacturing; plastic_additive
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
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
TRIETHYLENE GLYCOL
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL1235259
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Triethylene Glycol allowed in the EU?
Triethylene Glycol EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Triethylene Glycol do in cosmetics?
Triethylene Glycol functions as: Fragrance ingredient, solvent, viscosity decreasing agent, humectant. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 112-27-6.
Is Triethylene Glycol used outside cosmetics?
Triethylene Glycol 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 Triethylene Glycol have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Triethylene Glycol is classified GHS Danger (H302, H312, H314, H412) in the chemicals database but is allowed in EU cosmetics.
Compliance Tools
Check Triethylene Glycol 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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