BUTYLPARABEN
Fragrance Ingredient; Preservative; MASKING
Also listed as
BENZOIC ACID, 4-HYDROXY-, BUTYL ESTER; BUTYL 4-HYDROXYBENZOATE; BUTYL P-HYDROXYBENZOATE; BUTYL P-HYDROXY BENZOATE; BUTYL PARAHYDROXYBENZOATE; PARAHYDROXYBENZOATE ESTER; BUTYL ESTER BENZOIC ACID, 4-HYDROXY-; 4-HYDROXY- BUTYL ESTER BENZOIC ACID; BENZOIC ACID, 4HYDROXY, BUTYL ESTER; P-HYDROXYBENZOIC ACID, BUTYL ESTER; ASEPTOFORM BUTYL
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: Endocrine disruption, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Biochemical or cellular level changes |
| Lesser or emerging concerns for this ingredient: Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Data gaps |
|
See products containing BUTYLPARABEN | |
About BUTYLPARABEN: Butylparaben is the ester of butyl alcohol and p-hydroxybenzoic acid. It conforms to theformula:
BUTYLPARABEN has reported used in the following product types: facial moisturizer/treatment (323); eye shadow (267); foundation (224); anti-aging (208); lipstick (157); sunscreen: makeup (156); moisturizer (143); mascara (136); sunscreen: moisturizer (123); blush (112)
Allergies/immunotoxicity
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Human skin toxicant - strong evidence |
Endocrine disruption
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Human disruptor - strong evidence | European Commission on Endocrine Disruption | |
| One or more studies show significant wildlife and the environment disruption | European Commission on Endocrine Disruption | |
| show more | ||
Developmental/reproductive toxicity
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show effects at very low doses | Oishi S, 2002 | |
| show more | ||
Cancer
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more in vitro tests on mammalian cells show positive mutation results | RTECS®- Mutation Research 2008 |
Biochemical or cellular level changes
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Interferes with gene expresion | Pugazhendhi D, Sadler AJ, Darbre PD, 2007 |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Limited evidence of sense organ toxicity | Harvell, J, 1994 | |
| show more | ||
Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show skin irritation at moderate doses | RTECS®- Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists 1977 |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Not suspected to be persistent | Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List | |
| show more | ||
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 | |
| 99 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 Everything Added to Food |
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) |
| Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments | BUTYLPARABEN | •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 |
| FDA Everything Added to Food | BUTYL P-HYDROXYBENZOATE | • Fully up-to-date toxicology information has been sought. |
| Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List | BENZOIC ACID, 4-HYDROXY-, BUTYL ESTER | •This chemical was NOT flagged by CEPA for further attention. |
| European Commission on Endocrine Disruption | N-BUTYL P-HYDROXYBENZOATE | •Evidence of endocrine disrupting activity in at least one species using intact animals, high human health concern. •Evidence of endocrine disrupting activity in at least one species using intact animals, high human concern. |
| IFRA Fragrance Ingredient List | BENZOIC ACID, 4-HYDROXY-, BUTYL ESTER | •The chemical has been reported as used in fragrance compounds by IFRA affiliated member companies in 2008. |
| Oishi S, 2002 | BUTYLPARABEN | A dose-dependent decrease of both round and elongated spermatid counts in stages VII-VIII seminiferous tubules was observed, and the elongated spermatid counts were significantly lower in all of the treated groups. |
| Routledge EJ, Parker J, Odum J, Ashby J, Sumpter JP, 1998 | BUTYLPARABEN | Butylparaben produced a positive uterotrophic response in vivo, approximately 100,000 times less potent than 17 beta-estradiol. |
| Pugazhendhi D, Sadler AJ, Darbre PD, 2007 | BUTYLPARABEN | The study identified genes which are upregulated or downregulated to a similar extent by methylparaben, n-butylparaben and 17beta-oestradiol. |
| Byford JR, Shaw LE, Drew MG, Pope GS, Sauer MJ, Darbre PD, 2002 | PARABENS | •Hormonally active (parabens) |
| Harvell, J, 1994 | PARABENS | •Skin or sense organ toxicity hazards: suspected |
| RTECS®- Archives of Toxicology 2002 | BUTYLPARABEN | • reproductive - Spermatogenesis (mouse TDLo) • reproductive - Testes, epididymis, sperm duct (mouse TDLo) • endocrine system - Other changes (mouse TDLo) |
| RTECS®- Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association, Scientific Edition 1956 | BUTYLPARABEN | • metabolic - Weight loss or decreased weight gain (rat TDLo) |
| RTECS®- Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists 1977 | BUTYLPARABEN | • sense organ - Lacrimation (mouse LD50) • skin - Primary skin irritant (guinea pig ) |
| RTECS®- Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists 1977 | BUTYLPARABEN | • skin - Primary skin irritant (guinea pig ) |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 2008 | BUTYLPARABEN | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Cytogenetic Analysis (hamster ovr) • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: DNA Damage (hamster ovr) • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Sister Chromatid Exchange (hamster ovr) |
| RTECS®- Nippon Eiseigaku Zasshi 1973 | BUTYLPARABEN | • broad systemic - Broad systemic toxicity (mouse LD50) |
| RTECS®- Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 1998 | BUTYLPARABEN | • endocrine system - Changes in uterine weight (rat TDLo) |
references
| government/industry list/academic study | reference |
| 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. |
| European Commission on Endocrine Disruption | EU (European Union)- Strategy for Endocrine Disrupters 2007. Commision on endocrin disruption requested by the European Parliament in 1998. |
| 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 |
| Open scientific literature | Oishi S., 2002. "Effects of butyl paraben on the male reproductive system in mice," Arch Toxicol. 2002 Jul;76(7):423-9. |
| Open scientific literature | Routledge EJ, Parker J, Odum J, Ashby J, Sumpter JP, 1998. "Some alkyl hydroxy benzoate preservatives (parabens) are estrogenic.," Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 1998 Nov;153(1):12-9. |
| Open scientific literature | Pugazhendhi D, Sadler AJ, Darbre PD, 2007. "Comparison of the global gene expression profiles produced by methylparaben, n-butylparaben and 17beta-oestradiol in MCF7 human breast cancer cells," J Appl Toxicol. 2007 Jan-Feb;27(1):67-77. |
| EWG Assessment of Open Scientific Literature | Byford JR, Shaw LE, Drew MG, Pope GS, Sauer MJ, Darbre PD. Oestrogenic activity of parabens in MCF7 human breast cancer cells. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2002 Jan;80(1):49-60. |
| Scorecard.org Toxicity Information | Harvell, J., M. Bason and H. Maibach. Contact Urticaria and its Mechanisms. Food Chemistry and Toxicology 32(2): 103-112. 1994. (Table 2: Substances identified as capable of causing contact urticaria). |
| RTECS®- Archives of Toxicology 2002 | RTECS®- Archives of Toxicology. (Springer-Verlag, Heidelberger Pl. 3, D-1000 Berlin 33, Fed. Rep. Ger.) V.32- 1974- 76,423,2002 |
| 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. 45,260,1956 |
| RTECS®- Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists 1977 | RTECS®- Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists. (Soc. of Cosmetic Chemists, 1995 Broadway, Suite 1701, New York, NY 10023) V.1- 1947- 28,357,1977 |
| RTECS®- Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists 1977 | RTECS®- Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists. (Soc. of Cosmetic Chemists, 1995 Broadway, Suite 1701, New York, NY 10023) V.1- 28,357,1977 |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 2008 | RTECS®- Mutation Research. (Elsevier Science Pub. B.V., POB 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands) V.1- 649,114,2008 |
| RTECS®- Nippon Eiseigaku Zasshi 1973 | RTECS®- Nippon Eiseigaku Zasshi. Japanese Journal of Hygiene. (Nippon Eisei Gakkai, c/o Kyoto Daigaku Igakubu, Konoe-cho, Yoshida, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606, Japan) V.1- 1946- 28,463,1973 |
| RTECS®- Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 1998 | RTECS®- Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology. (Academic Press, Inc., 1 E. First St., Duluth, MN 55802) V.1- 1959- 153,12,1998 |
"RTECS®" is a United States trademark owned and licensed under authority of the U.S. Government, by and through MDL Information Systems, Inc.
Copyright © 2010 by Environmental Working Group
All rights reserved.
Favorites basket
No items in basket.
Skin Deep User Tools BETA
Looking for a product report that we don't have in Skin Deep? Sign up to enter it into the Skin Deep database and leave product reviews.
SKIN DEEP NEEDS YOUR HELP
We always want Skin Deep to be free to the public, but delivering high-quality research costs time and money. Help by donating just the cost of a bar of soap or bottle of shampoo.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Stay informed with email updates on toxics in everyday products and how they can affect your health.
JOIN THE CAMPAIGN
Find out more about the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.