beauty
cleaning
food
industrial

Glycolic acid

CAS 5980-14-3 · 20/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 6 other CAS numbers

26009-03-0 · 259744-22-4 · 702627-33-6 · 1033720-45-4 · 1033720-48-7 · 79-14-1

Concern score

20/100Minor concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Glycolic acid in plain language

What it is: Also known as Hydroxyacetic acid · 2-hydroxyacetic acid · 2-Hydroxyethanoic acid · 2-oxonioacetate · 4-03-00-00571 (Beilstein Handbook Reference) · Acetic acid, 2-hydroxy-
Show all 23 names
Acetic acid, hydroxy- · Acide glycolique · Glycolate · Glycollate · Glycocide · Glycolic Acid T,70% · Hydroxyethanoic acid · Kyselina glykolova · Kyselina hydroxyoctova · OceanBlu Barrier · OceanBlu Pre-Post · acido glicolico · alpha-Hydroxyacetic acid · glycollic acid · hydroxy acetic acid · hydroxyacetic acid (glycol acid) · hydroxyacetic acid (see supplemental for ingredients)
What it does: Used in cosmetics as a pH buffer.
Buffering
pH adjuster
Conditioner
Abrasive
Antimicrobial
Cleaning agent
Is it a concern?: Minor concern: no hazard classifications on record. It is listed for cosmetic use in the EU.

Why it's flagged

EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 1084 composition records across product categories including Construction and building materials, Cleaning and safety, Laboratory supplies.

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. Glycolic acid appears in these published regulatory listings.

In marketed US drugs

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Cleaning
Industrial

EUEFSAEFSA opinion2 entries
- Scientific Opinion on the safety evaluation of the substance glycolic acid for use in food contact materials - EFSA Panel on food contact materials, enzymes, flavourings and processing aids (CEF) (EFSA CEF)Source →
- Opinion of the Scientific Panel on food additives, flavourings, processing aids and materials in contact with food (AFC) on a request related to a 18th list of substances for food contact materials (EFSA AFC)Source →
EUCosIngActiveListed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.
- Listed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 1084 composition records across product categories including Construction and building materials, Cleaning and safety, Laboratory supplies. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including pH regulating agent, Cosmetics, Cleaning agent.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 1084 composition records across product categories including Construction and building materials, Cleaning and safety, Laboratory supplies. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including pH regulating agent, Cosmetics, Cleaning agent.Source →
USFDAmarketed drug occurrenceFDA NDC lists this ingredient in 1 active drug products and 3 total products.
- FDA NDC lists this ingredient in 1 active drug products and 3 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.
EFSA
European Food Safety Authority
- Scientific Opinion on the safety evaluation of the substance glycolic acid for use in food contact materials - EFSA Panel on food contact materials, enzymes, flavourings and processing aids (CEF) (EFSA CEF)
  2010 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
- Opinion of the Scientific Panel on food additives, flavourings, processing aids and materials in contact with food (AFC) on a request related to a 18th list of substances for food contact materials (EFSA AFC)
  2008 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →

Evidence & sources

No graded research studies for Glycolic acid 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 →
EFSA OpenFoodTox
regulatory · updated 2026-10-04
Open →
EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated march 30, 2017
Open →
EPA DSSTox Identifiers
chemistry · updated 2025-12-29
Open →
FDA National Drug Code Directory
regulatory · updated 2027-07-01
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 Glycolic acid in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.

Source records

1,084

Named organisations

Construction and building materialsCleaning and safetyLaboratory suppliesSpecialty occupational productsCleaning products and household careUnknown or Indeterminate

Typical roles

BufferingpH adjusterConditionerAbrasiveAntimicrobialCleaning agent

See products using Glycolic acid →

Catalog

Found in these products

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

See all 109 →Find products without it →