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Beauty ingredient · Plasticizer

Dibutyl phthalate (DBP)

CAS
84-74-2

A plasticizer once common in nail polish; prohibited in EU cosmetics and in California and Washington cosmetics.

  • Phthalate
  • Expert review pending
Very high concern Level 4 of 4 How concern levels work

Banned or revoked by a major regulator, or classified by IARC as Group 1 or 2A at relevant exposure. The concern level sets how many points dibutyl phthalate (DBP) costs on a product’s receipt.

What the evidence says

  • Reproductive or developmental toxicantRegulatory

    Listed under California Proposition 65 as a developmental and reproductive toxicant (2005); prohibited in EU cosmetics. [1][2]

  • IARC Group 2B (possibly carcinogenic)Strong evidence

    IARC classified dibutyl phthalate as Group 2B (Volume 142, in preparation). [3]

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

Rules around the world

WhereStatusDetailsDateSource
European Union Banned Prohibited in cosmetic products (Annex II of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009). (entry 675). — [2]
California (US) Banned Not allowed in cosmetics from January 1, 2025 (AB 2762). Jan 1, 2025 [4]
Washington State (US) Banned Ortho-phthalates are not allowed in cosmetics from January 1, 2025. Jan 1, 2025 [5]

“Banned” means explicitly prohibited or withdrawn after review; “not permitted” means never authorized there.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 (6)
  • dbp
  • butyl phthalate
  • dibutyl phthalate
  • n butyl phthalate
  • di n butyl phthalate
  • dibutyl phthalate dbp

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. Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 of 30 November 2009 on cosmetic products

    European Union (Official Journal) · Nov 30, 2009 · Law

    “cosmetic products shall not contain any of the following: (a) prohibited substances — prohibited substances listed in Annex II”

    eur-lex.europa.eu

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

    International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO) · IARC

    monographs.iarc.who.int

  4. California AB 2762 (2020), Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act (Health and Safety Code §108980)

    California Legislative Information · Sep 30, 2020 · Law

    “Commencing January 1, 2025, no person or entity shall manufacture, sell, deliver, hold, or offer for sale, in commerce any cosmetic product that contains any of the following intentionally added ingredients”

    leginfo.legislature.ca.gov

  5. Revised Code of Washington, Chapter 70A.560 (Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act)

    Washington State Legislature · Law

    “(a) Ortho-phthalates; (b) Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances; (c) Formaldehyde (CAS 50-00-0) and chemicals determined by the department to release formaldehyde;”

    app.leg.wa.gov