Beauty ingredient · Preservative
Propylparaben
- CAS
- 94-13-3
A paraben preservative. The EU limits it and bans it in leave-on products for the nappy area of children under 3.
- 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 propylparaben 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 butylparaben); not in leave-on products for the nappy area of children under 3. | — | [1] |
| United States | Permitted | No specific FDA limit in cosmetics; the FDA is assessing propylparaben in food. | — | [2] |
“Banned” means explicitly prohibited or withdrawn after review; “not permitted” means never authorized there. We use each regulator’s own words.
Popular products that list propylparaben
9 of the 17,000 most-scanned products in the US with a GoodSwap page list propylparaben.
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Daily Moisturizing Lotion CeraVe · 237 mL Score 92 out of 100 Excellent -
La Banderita Yellow Corn Tortillas La Banderita · 52 g Score 69 out of 100 Good -
Moisturing Lotion CeraVe Score 92 out of 100 Excellent -
Trail Mix Mountain Eatz · 284 g Score 14 out of 100 Bad -
Intensive Care Cocoa Radiant 48H Moisture/ Hydration Lotion Vaseline Score 86 out of 100 Excellent -
CeraVe CeraVe · 355 mL Score 92 out of 100 Excellent -
Hydrating Facial Cleanser CeraVe Score 91 out of 100 Excellent -
PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion CeraVe Score 92 out of 100 Excellent -
Tums Assorted Berries Chewy Bites Tums Score 24 out of 100 Poor
Names GoodSwap recognizes on labels (9)
- propylparaben
- propyl paraben
- sodium propylparaben
- potassium propylparaben
- methyl and propylparaben
- propyl 4 hydroxybenzoate
- propyl p hydroxybenzoate
- methyl and propyl parabens
- methylparaben and propylparaben
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
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fda.gov