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Beauty ingredient · Antioxidant

BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole)

CAS
25013-16-5

A synthetic antioxidant used in some lipsticks and creams.

  • Preservative
  • Expert review pending
High concern Level 3 of 4 How concern levels work

A regulatory warning or restriction somewhere, or strong evidence of harm at typical intake. The concern level sets how many points BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) costs on a product’s receipt.

What the evidence says

  • Warning label requiredRegulatory

    Listed under California Proposition 65 (cancer, 1990); IARC Group 2B; the US NTP lists it as reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen. [1][2][3]

Evidence tiers say how sure the evidence is, separately from how much it matters. About evidence tiers.

Rules around the world

WhereStatusDetailsDateSource
California (US) Warning label required Listed under Proposition 65 (cancer, 1990). Jan 1, 1990 [1]

“Banned” means explicitly prohibited or withdrawn after review; “not permitted” means never authorized there. We use each regulator’s own words.

Names GoodSwap recognizes on labels (4)
  • bha
  • butylated hydroxyanisol
  • butylated hydroxyanisole
  • bha butylated hydroxyanisole

Sources

  1. Proposition 65 List of Chemicals Known to the State to Cause Cancer or Reproductive Toxicity

    California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) · Jul 31, 2026 · Law

    “The date refers to the initial appearance of the chemical on the list.”

    oehha.ca.gov

  2. Agents Classified by the IARC Monographs, Volumes 1–142 (List of Classifications)

    International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO) · IARC

    monographs.iarc.who.int

  3. Report on Carcinogens, 15th Edition: Butylated Hydroxyanisole

    U.S. National Toxicology Program · Dec 21, 2021 · Agency assessment

    “Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen based on sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity from studies in experimental animals.”

    ntp.niehs.nih.gov