BUTYLENE GLYCOL
Fragrance Ingredient; Skin-Conditioning Agent - Miscellaneous; Solvent; ViscosityDecreasing Agent; HUMECTANT; MASKING; SKIN CONDITIONING; VISCOSITY CONTROLLING
Also listed as
ACEROLA EXTRACT BG-25; 1,3-BUTANEDIOL; 1,3-BUTYLENE GLYCOL; 1,3-DIHYDROXYBUTANE; DIOSCOREA COMPOSITA EXTRACT BG; 3-HYDROXY-1-BUTANOL; PHYTO COLLAGE BD-II; QUILLAJA EXTRACT BG; ROSE APPLE LEAF EXTRACT BG-30; 1,3BUTANEDIOL; BUTANE-1,3-DIOL
Given the incomplete information made available by companies and the government, EWG provides additional information on personal care product ingredients from the published scientific literature. The chart below indicates that research studies have found that exposure to this ingredient -- not the products containing it -- caused the indicated health effect(s) in the studies reviewed by Skin Deep researchers. Actual health risks, if any, will vary based on the level of exposure to the ingredient and individual susceptibility -- information not available in Skin Deep.
| This ingredient: | |
 | Cancer |
 | Developmental/reproductive toxicity |
| Violations, restrictions & warnings |
| Allergies/immunotoxicity |
| Contamination concerns |
 | Other moderate concerns for this ingredient: Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) |
| Lesser or emerging concerns for this ingredient: Neurotoxicity, Endocrine disruption, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Data gaps |
|
See products containing BUTYLENE GLYCOL | |
About BUTYLENE GLYCOL: Butylene Glycol is the aliphatic diol.
BUTYLENE GLYCOL has reported used in the following product types: facial moisturizer/treatment (458); foundation (392); anti-aging (284); sunscreen: makeup (245); sunscreen: moisturizer (158); facial cleanser (150); moisturizer (111); around-eye cream (104); sunscreen: SPF 15-30 (83); mascara (73)
Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Human irritant - strong evidence | products for use around the eyes, on the skin, or may be aerosolized (airborne) | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
| show more | ||
Developmental/reproductive toxicity
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show reproductive effects at high doses | RTECS®- Journal of the American College of Toxicology 1986 |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show sense organ effects at moderate doses (low dose studies may be unavailable for this ingredient) | products for use around the eyes, mouth, or lips | RTECS®- American Journal of Ophthalmology 1946 |
| show more | ||
Neurotoxicity
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show brain and nervous system effects at high doses | RTECS®- Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology 1941 | |
| show more | ||
Endocrine disruption
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show endocrine system disruption at high doses | RTECS®- "Vrednie chemichescie veshestva, galogen I kislorod sodergashie organicheskie soedinenia" 1994 |
Data gaps
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Risk assessment method deficiencies and data gaps - Maximum reported "as used" concentration is basis of safety assessment by industry safety panel (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, CIR) - implicit safe concentration limit in product | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments | |
| 67 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical see search results -> | PubMed |
Multiple, additive exposure sources
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Food Additive Status | |
| Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Everything Added to Food |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Not suspected to be persistent | Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List | |
| show more | ||
Ecotoxicology
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List |
Government, industry, academic studies and classifications
| government/industry list/academic study | appears on list as | classification(s) |
| FDA Food Additive Status | 1,3-BUTYLENE GLYCOL | • Food additive: solvent • Food additive: food additive for which a petition has been filed and a regulation issued • Food additive: must be in accordance with good manufacturing practices, or sufficient for purpose; or in quantity not greater than required • In nat and syn flavoring substances except where standards preclude use -173.220; 573.225. Used in the manufacture of sausage casings as a formulation aid and processing aid - CFR172.712. |
| Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics | 1,3-BUTYLENE GLYCOL | • o |
| Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments | BUTYLENE GLYCOL | •Safe as used in cosmetics according to industry panel (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, CIR) •Maximum reported "as used" concentration is basis of safety assessment by industry safety panel (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, CIR) - implicit safe concentration limit in product •Irritation (eyes, skin, or lungs) • |
| FDA Everything Added to Food | 1,3-BUTYLENE GLYCOL | • Fully up-to-date toxicology information has been sought. |
| Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List | 1,3-BUTANEDIOL | •This chemical was NOT flagged by CEPA for further attention. |
| IFRA Fragrance Ingredient List | 1,3-BUTANEDIOL | •The chemical has been reported as used in fragrance compounds by IFRA affiliated member companies in 2008. |
| RTECS®- "Prehled Prumyslove Toxikologie; Organicke Latky," Marhold, J 1986 | BUTYLENE GLYCOL | • sense organ - Primary eye irritant (rabbit ) • skin - Primary skin irritant (rabbit ) |
| RTECS®- "Vrednie chemichescie veshestva, galogen I kislorod sodergashie organicheskie soedinenia" 1984 | BUTYLENE GLYCOL | • brain and nervous system - Ataxia (rat TDLo) • broad systemic - Broad systemic toxicity (guinea pig LD50) |
| RTECS®- "Vrednie chemichescie veshestva, galogen I kislorod sodergashie organicheskie soedinenia" 1994 | BUTYLENE GLYCOL | • brain and nervous system - Abuse (mammal TDLo) • brain and nervous system - Alteration of classical conditioning (mammal TDLo) • endocrine system - Changes in LH (mammal TDLo) |
| RTECS®- American Journal of Ophthalmology 1946 | BUTYLENE GLYCOL | • sense organ - Primary eye irritant (rabbit ) |
| RTECS®- American Journal of Ophthalmology 1946 | BUTYLENE GLYCOL | • sense organ - Primary eye irritant (rabbit ) |
| RTECS®- Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology 1941 | BUTYLENE GLYCOL | • broad systemic - Broad systemic toxicity (rat LD50) • gastrointestinal - Other changes (guinea pig LD50) • brain and nervous system - Somnolence (general depressed activity) (guinea pig LD50) |
| RTECS®- Journal of the American College of Toxicology 1986 | BUTYLENE GLYCOL | • reproductive - Growth statistics (rat TDLo) |
| RTECS®- Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association, Scientific Edition 1956 | BUTYLENE GLYCOL | • broad systemic - Broad systemic toxicity (mouse LD50) |
| RTECS®- Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 1979 | BUTYLENE GLYCOL | • broad systemic - Broad systemic toxicity (mouse LD50) |
references
| government/industry list/academic study | reference |
| FDA Food Additive Status | FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) 2006. Food Additive Status List. Downloaded from http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/%7Edms/opa-appa.html, Oct 16, 2006. |
| Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics | AOEC (Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics). 2009. AEOC exposures codes and asthmagen designation. |
| Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments | CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC. |
| FDA Everything Added to Food | FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). 2008. EAFUS [Everything Added to Food]: A Food Additive Database. FDA Office of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. |
| Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List | EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry. |
| IFRA Fragrance Ingredient List | IFRA (International Fragrance Assocication). 2010. IFRA Fragrance Ingredient List based on 2008 Use Survey. Accessed online 01/04/2010: http://www.ifraorg.org/Home/News/Latest-News/page.aspx/66?xf_itemId=43&xf_selectionDatapartId=25 |
| RTECS®- "Prehled Prumyslove Toxikologie; Organicke Latky," Marhold, J 1986 | RTECS®- "Prehled Prumyslove Toxikologie; Organicke Latky," Marhold, J., Prague, Czechoslovakia, Avicenum, 1986 -,207,1986 |
| RTECS®- "Vrednie chemichescie veshestva, galogen I kislorod sodergashie organicheskie soedinenia" 1984 | RTECS®- "Vrednie chemichescie veshestva, galogen I kislorod sodergashie organicheskie soedinenia". (Hazardous substances. Galogen and oxygen containing substances), Bandman A.L. et al., Chimia, 1994 -,151,1984 |
| RTECS®- "Vrednie chemichescie veshestva, galogen I kislorod sodergashie organicheskie soedinenia" 1994 | RTECS®- "Vrednie chemichescie veshestva, galogen I kislorod sodergashie organicheskie soedinenia". (Hazardous substances. Galogen and oxygen containing substances), Bandman A.L. et al., Chimia, 1994 -,152,1994 |
| RTECS®- American Journal of Ophthalmology 1946 | RTECS®- American Journal of Ophthalmology. (Ophthalmic Pub. Co., 435 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1415, Chicago, IL 60611) Series 3: V.1- 1918- 29,1363,1946 |
| RTECS®- American Journal of Ophthalmology 1946 | RTECS®- American Journal of Ophthalmology. (Ophthalmic Pub. Co., 435 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1415, Chicago, IL 60611) Series 3: V.1- 29,1363,1946 |
| RTECS®- Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology 1941 | RTECS®- Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology. (Cambridge, MA) V.18-31, 1936-49. For publisher information, see AEHLAU. 23,259,1941 |
| RTECS®- Journal of the American College of Toxicology 1986 | RTECS®- Journal of the American College of Toxicology. (Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., 1651 Third Ave., New York, NY 10128) V.1-12, 1982-1993. Discontinued. 5(4),189,1986 |
| RTECS®- Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association, Scientific Edition 1956 | RTECS®- Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association, Scientific Edition. (Washington, DC) V.29-49, 1940-60. For publisher information, see JPMSAE. 45,669,1956 |
| RTECS®- Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 1979 | RTECS®- Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology. (Academic Press, Inc., 1 E. First St., Duluth, MN 55802) V.1- 1959- 49,385,1979 |
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