Beauty ingredient · Preservative
Isobutylparaben
- CAS
- 4247-02-3
A paraben preservative prohibited in EU cosmetics since 2014.
- Paraben
- Preservative
- Expert review pending
Concern level
A regulatory warning or restriction somewhere, or strong evidence of harm at typical intake. The concern level sets how many points isobutylparaben costs on a product’s receipt.
What the evidence says
-
Not permitted in cosmetics somewhereRegulatory
The EU prohibited it in cosmetics because industry provided too little data for its risk to be evaluated. [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 | Banned | Prohibited in cosmetic products (Annex II of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009). Added in 2014 because the risk could not be evaluated. | Jul 30, 2014 | [1] |
| California (US) | Banned | Not allowed in cosmetics sold in California from January 1, 2025 (AB 2762). | Jan 1, 2025 | [2] |
“Banned” means explicitly prohibited or withdrawn after review; “not permitted” means never authorized there.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 (3)
- isobutylparaben
- isobutyl paraben
- sodium isobutylparaben
Sources
-
“for these compounds, the human risk cannot be evaluated.”
eur-lex.europa.eu
-
California AB 2762 (2020), Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act (Health and Safety Code §108980)
“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