Beauty ingredient · Preservative
Butylparaben
- CAS
- 94-26-8
A paraben preservative restricted in the EU.
- Paraben
- Preservative
- Expert review pending
Concern level
Strong evidence of harm at high intake, emerging evidence of harm, or a common allergen or irritant. The concern level sets how many points butylparaben costs on a product’s receipt.
What the evidence says
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Suspected endocrine disruptorRegulatory
The EU limits propyl- and butylparaben (0.14% combined) and bans them in leave-on nappy-area products for children under 3 because a risk could not be excluded. [1]
Evidence tiers say how sure the evidence is, separately from how much it matters. About evidence tiers.
Rules around the world
| Where | Status | Details | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Union | Restricted | Up to 0.14% (as acid, combined with propylparaben); not in leave-on nappy-area products for children under 3. | — | [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“Banned” means explicitly prohibited or withdrawn after review; “not permitted” means never authorized there.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 (5)
- butylparaben
- butyl paraben
- sodium butylparaben
- potassium butylparaben
- butyl p hydroxybenzoate
Sources
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“butylparaben and propylparaben should be prohibited in leave-on cosmetic products designed for application on the nappy area of children below three years.”
eur-lex.europa.eu