beauty
pharma

Chlorhexidine

CAS 111883-36-4 · 20/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 6 other CAS numbers

328933-19-3 · 1520991-69-8 · 55-56-1 · 56-95-1 · 3697-42-5 · 18472-51-0

Concern score

20/100Minor concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Chlorhexidine in plain language

What it is: On cosmetic ingredient lists it appears as “Chlorhexidine diacetate”.
Also known as Chlorhexidine diacetate · Chlorhexidine digluconate · Chlorhexidine dihydrochloride · N,N''''-Hexane-1,6-diylbis · 1,6-Di(N-p-chlorophenylbiguanidino)hexane · Chlorohexidine
Show all 15 names
Chlorhexadine · 1, 1'-Hexamethylenebis (5-(p-chlorophenyl) biguanide) · AKOS026749998 · C22H30Cl2N10 · Chlorhexidine CRS · Chlorhexidine base · Dentisept · GTPL14052 · Merfen-incolore
What it does: Used in cosmetics as a preservative, an antimicrobial and an oral-care ingredient.
Preservative
Antimicrobial
Oral care
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 — Chlorhexidine appears on published "allowed" regulatory lists rather than on a restriction list.

N,N'-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-3,12-diimino-2,4,11,13-tetraazatetradecanediamidine and its digluconate, diacetate and dihydrochloride 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. Chlorhexidine appears in these published regulatory listings.

In marketed US drugs
EU Annex V — permitted preservative
EU permitted preservative

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Beauty

EUCosIngActive2 entries
- Chlorhexidine is an organic compound that conforms to the formula: Restriction: V/42Source →
- Cosmetics Regulation annex V / ref 42.Source →
USFDAmarketed drug occurrence2 entries
- FDA NDC lists this ingredient in 4 active drug products and 4 total products.Source →
- FDA NDC lists this ingredient in 3 active drug products and 3 total products.Source →
EUECallowed_listedAnnex V of EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009: preservatives allowed in cosmetic products. Maximum concentration: 0.3% (as chlorhexidine)
- Annex V of EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009: preservatives allowed in cosmetic products. Maximum concentration: 0.3% (as chlorhexidine)Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 30 composition records across product categories including Personal care. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Biocide, Preservative, oral care.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 30 composition records across product categories including Personal care. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Biocide, Preservative, oral care.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 Chlorhexidine. 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 Chlorhexidine yet. This record is compiled from the published data sources below — registries and regulatory listings, not study findings.

8 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 November 2016
Open →
EPA DSSTox Identifiers
chemistry · updated 2025-12-29
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 →

Reference links (1)

Openfda substance

duboisdistributors.com

Read →

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 EPA CPDat has listed Chlorhexidine in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.

Source records

Named organisations

Personal care

Typical roles

PreservativeAntimicrobialOral care

See products using Chlorhexidine →

Catalog

Found in these products

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

See all 177 →Find products without it →