BHT
- CAS
- 128-37-0
- EC
- 2048814
- PubChem CID
- 31404
- Molecular Formula
- C15H24O
- Molecular Weight
- 220.3500 g/mol
Preservative that prevents oils from spoiling. Its effect on hormone regulation at high doses is debated; it is considered safe in low amounts.
What does it do?
A preservative that prevents the oils within products from spoiling and developing unpleasant odors.
Details
A preservative that prevents oils in cosmetic products from oxidizing, spoiling, and developing unpleasant odors. It is considered safe in low amounts, but there are debates regarding its potential effect on hormone regulation at high doses. Therefore, its use is limited: allowed up to 0.001% in mouthwashes, 0.1% in toothpastes, and up to 0.8% in other products. It is generally considered safe within these limits.
Hazards
Benefits
Functions
Restrictions
Where is it found?
Function & Use
Antioxidant
Masking
Regulatory note
- EU 1223/2009 Annex IIIRestricted
Industry GHS notices (PubChem)
These are industry self-reports to ECHA, not our regulatory assessment.
- H302- Harmful if swallowed
- H313- H313
- H316- H316
- H317- May cause an allergic skin reaction
- H320- Causes eye irritation
- H361- Suspected of damaging fertility or the unborn child
- H370- Causes damage to organs
- H400(42.6%)- Very toxic to aquatic life
- H410(84.3%)- Very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects
What The Sources Say
IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer)1
IARC Group 3 — Not classifiable as to carcinogenicity. The available evidence is insufficient for a classification. This does NOT mean 'safe'; it means 'not enough data'. (Monograph volume: 40, Sup 7). Caveat: IARC classifies HAZARD, not RISK — it says 'can cause cancer under some conditions', not 'causes cancer at cosmetic use levels'. Route and dose must be assessed separately. Data is a 01/2021 snapshot.
ToxValDB (EPA Toxicity Value Database)11
EPA ToxValDB skin/eye data — endpoint: Eye Irritation, classification: Category 2B. Caveat: this is an aggregated record; dose, species and route of exposure must be considered together.
EPA ToxValDB skin/eye data — endpoint: Skin Irritation, classification: Not classified. Caveat: this is an aggregated record; dose, species and route of exposure must be considered together.
EPA ToxValDB skin/eye data — endpoint: Skin Sensitization, classification: Classification not possible. Caveat: this is an aggregated record; dose, species and route of exposure must be considered together.
EPA ToxValDB skin/eye data — endpoint: Skin Sensitization, classification: Category 6.5B (Category 1). Caveat: this is an aggregated record; dose, species and route of exposure must be considered together.
EPA ToxValDB skin/eye data — endpoint: skin sensitisation: in vivo (non-LLNA), classification: Not likely to be sensitizing, species: guinea pig, study: skin sensitization, guideline: according to other guideline: Magnusson and Kligman (1969), year: 1988. Caveat: this is an aggregated record; dose, species and route of exposure must be considered together.
+6 more records.
Scientific References
- EPA CompTox Chemicals Dashboard — DSSTox identifiers mapped to CAS (2021r1)US EPA, Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure
- EU CosIng — Cosmetic Ingredient Database full exportEuropean Commission, DG GROW
- IARC Monographs — Butylated hydroxytoluene (Group 3 — Not classifiable as to carcinogenicity)IARC — WHO Uluslararası Kanser Araştırmaları Ajansı
- OpenFDA Cosmetic Adverse Events (api.fda.gov/cosmetic/event)US FDA — unvalidated adverse event reports
- ToxValDB — cancerUS EPA — ToxValDB v97
- ToxValDB — genotoxicityUS EPA — ToxValDB v97
- ToxValDB — skin/eyeUS EPA — ToxValDB v97