beauty
cleaning
food
industrial

Benzethonium chloride

CAS 1313-08-2 · 20/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 3 other CAS numbers

39362-38-4 · 324034-09-5 · 121-54-0

Benzethonium chloride chemical structure

Concern score

20/100Minor concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Benzethonium chloride in plain language

What it is: Also known as Benzethonium chloride concentrate · Anti-Germ 77 · Antiseptol · Banagerm · Bencetonium chloride · Benzethoniumchloride
Show all 25 names
Benzetonium chloride · Chlorure de benzethonium · Diapp · Disilyn · Hyamine 1622 · Inactisol · Kylacol · Neostelin green · Phemerol · Phemerol chloride · Phemeride · Phemithyn · Quatrachlor · Sanizol · benzethonii chloridum · benzethonium chloride/cationic surfactant · cationic surfactant · cationic surfactant (benzethonium chloride) · hyamine
What it does: Used in cosmetics as a preservative, an antimicrobial and a deodorant. Benzethonium Chloride is the quaternary ammonium salt.
Preservative
Antimicrobial
Deodorant
Dispersing
Surfactant
Is it a concern?: Minor concern: no hazard classifications on record. It is listed for cosmetic use in the EU.

What the listings say

Permitted, with conditions — Benzethonium chloride appears on published "allowed" regulatory lists rather than on a restriction list.

Benzenemethanaminium, N,N-dimethyl-N-[2-[2-[4-(1,1,3,3,-tetramethylbutyl)phenoxy]ethoxy]ethyl]-, chloride is listed in Annex V of the EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009 (preservatives allowed in cosmetic products).

The score describes this ingredient's chemical identity — its hazard profile from published classifications and regulatory status — not the safety of any product it appears in.

Regulation

No restrictions found. Benzethonium chloride appears in these published regulatory listings.

In marketed US drugs
EU Annex V — permitted preservative
EU permitted preservative
Inactive ingredient in US drugs

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Beauty
Cleaning
Pharma
Food
Industrial

USFDAinactive ingredient database6 entries — 4 administration routes
- Route: AURICULAR (OTIC); Dosage form: SOLUTION; Potency: 0.02 %w/vSource →
- Route: AURICULAR (OTIC); Dosage form: SOLUTION/ DROPS; Potency: 0.02 %w/wSource →
- Route: INTRAMUSCULAR; Dosage form: INJECTION; Maximum daily exposure: 1 mgSource →
- Route: INTRAVENOUS; Dosage form: INJECTION; Maximum daily exposure: 1 mgSource →
- Route: INTRAVENOUS; Dosage form: INJECTION, POWDER, FOR SOLUTION; Potency: 0.5 mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: CREAM; Potency: NASource →
EUCosIngActive2 entries
- Benzethonium Chloride is the quaternary ammonium salt that conforms to the formula: Restriction: V/53Source →
- Cosmetics Regulation annex V / ref 53.Source →
EUECallowed_listedAnnex V of EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009: preservatives allowed in cosmetic products. Product types: a) Rinse-off products b) Leave-on products other than oral products Maximum concentration: 0.1%
- Annex V of EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009: preservatives allowed in cosmetic products. Product types: a) Rinse-off products b) Leave-on products other than oral products Maximum concentration: 0.1%Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 108 composition records across product categories including Food and drug, Personal care, Specialty occupational products. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Biocide, Surfactant (surface active agent), Preservative.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 108 composition records across product categories including Food and drug, Personal care, Specialty occupational products. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Biocide, Surfactant (surface active agent), Preservative.Source →
USFDAmarketed drug occurrenceFDA NDC lists this ingredient in 115 active drug products and 120 total products.
- FDA NDC lists this ingredient in 115 active drug products and 120 total products.Source →
USFDAlisted in openFDA substanceopenFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as chemical.
- openFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as chemical.Source →

Expert safety opinions

No expert opinion on file for Benzethonium chloride. These are the independent scientific bodies that assess ingredients like this one; we show an opinion only when a record we hold cites it.

SCCS
EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety
No SCCS opinion on file.
CIR
Cosmetic Ingredient Review (US expert panel)
No CIR safety assessment on file.

Evidence & sources

No graded research studies for Benzethonium chloride yet. This record is compiled from the published data sources below — registries and regulatory listings, not study findings.

9 data sources

Where this comes from

CosIng
regulatory · updated 2026-09-23
Open →
EU CosIng Cosmetics Regulation Annexes
regulatory · updated 2010-10-16
Open →
EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated may 31, 2016
Open →
EPA DSSTox Identifiers
chemistry · updated 2025-12-29
Open →
FDA Inactive Ingredient Database
regulatory · updated 2026-01-09
Open →
FDA National Drug Code Directory
regulatory · updated 2027-12-31
Open →
FDA GSRS UNII
registry · updated 2026-02-26
Open →
openFDA Substance
registry · updated 2026-05-24
Open →
PubChem Live Enrichment
chemistry · updated 2026-05-17
Open →

Suitability

Context-specific fit derived from published classifications and the current ingredient evidence profile.

Food use

Food-use source coverage is present in the current record.

Good fit

The ingredient appears in food-oriented source coverage or allowed-use references, which makes food use easier to support than a context with no domain signal at all.

Fragrance avoidance

No fragrance-linked caution surfaced in the current profile.

Good fit

This ingredient does not currently read as a fragrance-linked driver in the published evidence and hazard profile.

Where it has been recorded

How often FDA National Drug Code directory has listed Benzethonium chloride in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.

Source records

120

Typical roles

PreservativeAntimicrobialDeodorantDispersingSurfactant

See products using Benzethonium chloride →

Catalog

Found in these products

Their ingredient lists include Benzethonium chloride; each product's own rating depends on its whole formula, so it is shown on the product page, not here.

See all 38 →Find products without it →