beauty
cleaning
industrial
pharma

Benzalkonium chloride

CAS 8001-54-5 · 70/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 7 other CAS numbers

61789-71-7 · 63449-41-2 · 68391-01-5 · 68424-85-1 · 68989-01-5 · 85409-22-9 · 91080-29-4

Benzalkonium chloride chemical structure

Concern score

70/100High concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Benzalkonium chloride in plain language

What it is: On cosmetic ingredient lists it appears as “Benzalkonium bromide”.
Also known as Benzalkonium bromide · Benzalkonium saccharinate · Cetalkonium chloride · Cetearalkonium bromide · Cocoalkonium chloride · Hydrogenated tallowalkonium chloride
Show all 22 names
Lauralkonium bromide · Lauralkonium chloride · Myristalkonium chloride · Myristalkonium saccharinate · Stearalkonium chloride · Tallowalkonium chloride · (C12-C18)Alkyldimethylbenzylammonium saccharinate · Benzalkonium chloride, bromide and saccharinate (10) · Benzalkonium chloride, bromide and saccharinate (9) · Alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium saccharinate · ALKYL(C12-18)DIMETHYLBENZYLAMMONIUM saccharinate · Myristyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium saccharinate · Quaternium 3 · ADBA Saccharinate (C12, C14, C16) · C12-18-Alkyldimethylbenzyl ammonium saccharinate · benzalkonii chloridum
What it does: Used in cosmetics as a preservative, an antimicrobial and a deodorant. Benzalkonium Chloride is a mixture of alkylbenzyldimethylammonium chlorides.
Preservative
Antimicrobial
Deodorant
Hair conditioning
Antistatic
Dispersing
Is it a concern?: High concern: no hazard classifications on record. It is restricted in EU cosmetics.

Why it's flagged

Benzalkonium chloride, bromide and saccharinate (9) is restricted in cosmetic products under Annex III of the EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009.

RestrictedEU EC — restricted

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 III — restricted
EU Annex V — permitted preservative
EU permitted preservative
EU restricted in cosmetics

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Beauty
Cleaning
Industrial

EUEC
Annex III of EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009: substances which cosmetic products must not contain except subject to the restrictions laid down. Product types: Rinse-off hair (head) products Maximum concentration: 3% (as benzalkonium chloride) Other conditions: In the final products the concentrations of benzalkonium chloride, bromide and saccharinate with an alkyl chain of C14, or less must not exceed 0.1% (as benzalkonium chloride) For purposes other than inhibiting the development of micro-organismes in the product. This purpose has to be apparent from the presentation of the product Conditions of use and warnings: Avoid contact with the eyes
restricted
View source →

EUCosIngActive4 entries
- Benzalkonium Chloride is a mixture of alkylbenzyldimethylammonium chlorides that conforms generally to the formula: Restriction: V/54 III/65Source →
- Cosmetics Regulation annex V / ref 54.Source →
- Cosmetics Regulation annex III / ref 65.Source →
- Quaternary ammonium compounds, benzylcoco alkyldimethyl, chlorides Restriction: V/54Source →
USEPAcommercial use observed2 entries
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 0 composition records across product categories including unclassified products. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Surfactant (surface active agent), Biocide, Preservative.Source →
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 56 composition records across product categories including Cleaning products and household care, Cleaning and safety, Pesticides. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Surfactant (surface active agent), Biocide, Preservative.Source →
EUECallowed_listedAnnex V of EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009: preservatives allowed in cosmetic products. Maximum concentration: 0.1% (as benzalkonium chloride) Conditions of use and warnings: Avoid contact with eyes
- Annex V of EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009: preservatives allowed in cosmetic products. Maximum concentration: 0.1% (as benzalkonium chloride) Conditions of use and warnings: Avoid contact with eyesSource →
USFDAmarketed drug occurrenceFDA NDC lists this ingredient in 1 active drug products and 1 total products.
- FDA NDC lists this ingredient in 1 active drug products and 1 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 Benzalkonium 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 Benzalkonium chloride yet. This record is compiled from the published data sources below — registries and regulatory listings, not study findings.

7 data sources

Where this comes from

CosIng
regulatory · updated 2026-09-23
Open →
EU CosIng Cosmetics Regulation Annexes
regulatory · updated 2010-11-04
Open →
EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated 4 December 2007
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 →

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 Benzalkonium chloride in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.

Source records

Typical roles

PreservativeAntimicrobialDeodorantHair conditioningAntistaticDispersing

See products using Benzalkonium chloride →

Catalog

Found in these products

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

See all 85 →Find products without it →