What does Selenium do?

Used in consumer products as a flavouring.

Critical concern: no hazard classifications on record. It is banned in EU cosmetics.

beauty
food
industrial
pharma

Selenium

CAS 7782-49-2 · 100/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 13 other CAS numbers

11125-23-8 · 11133-88-3 · 12640-29-8 · 12640-30-1 · 12641-96-2 · 12733-65-2 · 37256-19-2 · 37258-85-8 · 37276-15-6 · 37368-02-8 · 50954-17-1 · 51882-60-1 · 95788-45-7

Concern score

100/100Critical concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Selenium in plain language

What it is: On cosmetic ingredient lists it appears as “Defined cell culture media”.
Also known as Defined cell culture media · Hydrolyzed saccharomyces/sodium selenate ferment extract · Saccharomyces/selenium ferment · Selenium aspartate · Selenium/glycine soja sprout extract · Selenium and selenium compounds
Show all 32 names
Elemental selenium · Selenium nanoparticles · C.I. 77805 · CI 77805 · Selenium elemental · B-TRAXIM Se · Caswell No. 732 · Colloidal selenium · Gray selenium · Se · Selen · Selenium (Se) · Selenium 80 · Selenium base · Selenium dust · Selsaf 2000 · Un 2658 · Un 2658 (dot) · Vandex · selandiylium · selenio · selenium (sara iii) · selenium (sara 313) (cercla) · selenium (sara 313) (cercla). ld50: (oral rat) >5g/kg. · selenium (sara iii). vp: 0.0 @ 20c · Selenium metallicum
What it does: Used in consumer products as a flavouring.
Flavouring
Is it a concern?: Critical concern: no hazard classifications on record. It is banned in EU cosmetics.

Why it's flagged

Selenium and its compounds with the exception of selenium disulphide under the conditions set out under reference No 49 in Annex III is prohibited in cosmetic products under Annex II of the EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009.

RestrictedEU EC — banned

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

Restrictions first, then routine listings from published regulatory sources.

In marketed US drugs
EU Annex II — prohibited
EU prohibited in cosmetics

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Industrial

EUEC
Annex II of EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009: substances prohibited in cosmetic products.
banned
View source →

EUCosIngActiveCosmetics Regulation annex II / ref 297.
- Cosmetics Regulation annex II / ref 297.Source →
EUEFSAEFSA opinionSafety assessment of the active substance selenium nanoparticles, for use in active food contact materials (EFSA CEF)
- Safety assessment of the active substance selenium nanoparticles, for use in active food contact materials (EFSA CEF)Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 253 composition records across product categories including Laboratory supplies, Batteries, Electronics/small appliances. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Degradant/impurity, reduces the amount of bismuth needed to achieve the desired improvement in properties, Flavouring and nutrient.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 253 composition records across product categories including Laboratory supplies, Batteries, Electronics/small appliances. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Degradant/impurity, reduces the amount of bismuth needed to achieve the desired improvement in properties, Flavouring and nutrient.Source →
USFDAmarketed drug occurrenceFDA NDC lists this ingredient in 167 active drug products and 203 total products.
- FDA NDC lists this ingredient in 167 active drug products and 203 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

Independent scientific assessments cited by the records we hold, with the year and link where the record gives one.

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.
JECFA
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives
No JECFA evaluation on file.
EFSA
European Food Safety Authority
- Safety assessment of the active substance selenium nanoparticles, for use in active food contact materials (EFSA CEF)
  2018 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →

Evidence & sources

No graded research studies for Selenium 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 2010-10-20
Open →
EFSA OpenFoodTox
regulatory · updated 2026-10-04
Open →
EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated may 1, 2017
Open →
EPA DSSTox Identifiers
chemistry · updated 2025-12-29
Open →
FDA National Drug Code Directory
regulatory · updated 2029-10-17
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 EPA CPDat has listed Selenium in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.

Source records

253

Named organisations

Laboratory suppliesBatteriesElectronics/small appliancesSpecialty occupational productsRaw materialsArts and crafts/office supplies

Typical roles

Flavouring

See products using Selenium →

Catalog

Found in these products

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

See all 528 →Find products without it →