Skip to content

GREENVEIL

  • beauty
  • cleaning
  • industrial
  • pharma

Naphthalene

CAS 91-20-3 · 100/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 1 other CAS number

72931-45-4

Naphthalene chemical structure

Concern score

100/100Critical concern driven by cmr.
High confidence

Naphthalene in plain language

What it is

Also known as Albocarbon · Dezodorator · Naftalen · Tar camphor · White tar · Camphor tar

Show all 23 names

Mighty 150 · Mighty RD1 · Moth balls · Moth flakes · Naphthalene scales · NCI-C52904 · Naphtalene · Naphtalinum · Naphthalin · Naphthaline · Naphthene · RCRA waste number U165 · puro naftaleno · naphthalene (sara 313) (cercla) · naphthalene (sara iii) · naphthalene (sara iii) (approximately 3%). · Naphthalinum

What it does

Used in consumer products as a colourant, a surfactant and a solvent.

  • Colourant
  • Surfactant
  • Solvent
  • Fragrance
  • Flavouring
Is it a concern?
Critical concern: classified for carcinogenic, mutagenic or reproductive toxicity (CMR). It is banned in EU cosmetics.

Why it's flagged

  • Cmr

Naphthalene 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
  • Cleaning
  • Industrial

  • EUEC

    Annex II of EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009: substances prohibited in cosmetic products. CMR: Carcinogenic Cat. 2()

    banned
    View source →
  • EUCosIngActiveCosmetics Regulation annex II / ref 1167.
    • Cosmetics Regulation annex II / ref 1167.Source →
  • USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 1231 composition records across product categories including Construction and building materials, Home maintenance, Specialty occupational products. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Flavouring and nutrient, Surfactant (surface active agent), No specific technical function.
    • EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 1231 composition records across product categories including Construction and building materials, Home maintenance, Specialty occupational products. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Flavouring and nutrient, Surfactant (surface active agent), No specific technical function.Source →
  • USFDAmarketed drug occurrenceFDA NDC lists this ingredient in 25 active drug products and 27 total products.
    • FDA NDC lists this ingredient in 25 active drug products and 27 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 Naphthalene. 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 Naphthalene 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 2010-10-15

    Open →

  • EPA Chemical and Products Database

    exposure · updated jun 07 1995

    Open →

  • EPA DSSTox Identifiers

    chemistry · updated 2025-12-29

    Open →

  • FDA National Drug Code Directory

    regulatory · updated 2029-02-28

    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.

Fragrance avoidance

Not a strong fit for fragrance avoidance because it carries Fragrance.

Avoid

The ingredient itself is a fragrance-linked signal, so it is better treated as an avoid case when fragrance exposure is the main concern.

Where it has been recorded

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

Source records

1,231

Named organisations

6

Construction and building materialsHome maintenanceSpecialty occupational productsVehicleRaw materialsCleaning and safety

Typical roles

ColourantSurfactantSolventFragranceFlavouring
See products using Naphthalene →