Isopropylparaben
Banned in EU cosmetics or credibly linked to serious harm.
Also written as: Isopropyl 4-Hydroxybenzoate · Propylparaben, iso-
What it is
Isopropylparaben is a branched-chain ester of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid. It was never as widely used as the straight-chain parabens, and when the EU reviewed the paraben family it found there was not enough data to establish safe levels for the branched and long-chain esters. Rather than set a limit, the Commission prohibited them.
Worth knowing
Banned in the EU because safety could not be demonstrated
The prohibition was a precautionary decision driven by missing toxicological data, not by evidence of harm at the levels previously used. Earlier expert reviews had found the paraben family as a whole to be of low toxicity at cosmetic use levels.
Matters most toPeople buying imported skincare; an EU-market product listing it would be non-compliant.
Still permitted in some markets outside the EU
Because the ban is European, products bought abroad or through online marketplaces may still contain it. There is no EU obligation on a foreign seller to reformulate.
Matters most toPeople ordering skincare from outside the EU, particularly from the US and parts of Asia.
Where the EU stands
Banned in EU cosmetics
Prohibited in EU cosmetic products. Added to the Annex II list of prohibited substances by Commission Regulation (EU) No 358/2014, which entered into force on 30 April 2014, together with isobutylparaben, phenylparaben, benzylparaben and pentylparaben.
Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annex II (prohibited substances), as amended by Commission Regulation (EU) No 358/2014 · source ↗
Sources (1)
Every link goes to the original: a journal, a PubMed record or an EU document.
- [1]Final amended report on the safety assessment of Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Isopropylparaben, Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben, and Benzylparaben as used in cosmetic products
International Journal of Toxicology (Cosmetic Ingredient Review) · 2008 · doi:10.1080/10915810802548359
The CIR expert panel judged parabens, including isopropylparaben, safe as used in cosmetics, noting a low order of toxicity at cosmetic concentrations, a view the EU nonetheless departed from in 2014 on data-gap grounds.