What does Sec-butyl acetate do?

Used in cosmetics as a solvent and a skin-conditioning agent.

Is Sec-butyl acetate safe?

We haven't assessed a concern score for this ingredient yet. It is listed for cosmetic use in the EU.

beauty
industrial

Sec-butyl acetate

CAS 17696-64-9

Also registered as 2 other CAS numbers

116698-48-7 · 105-46-4

Concern score

Not assessed — no hazard data yet.

Sec-butyl acetate in plain language

What it is: Also known as 1-METHYLPROPYL ethanoate · Sec-butyl acetate dl-form · Butan-2-yl acetate · Acetic acid secondary butyl ester · 1-METHYLPROPYL acetate · 2-ACETOXYBUTANE
Show all 24 names
2-BUTYL acetate, (+/-)- · 2-BUTYL acetate, (±)- · 2-Butanol acetate · 2-Butyl acetate · 4-02-00-00148 (Beilstein Handbook Reference) · Sec-butyl ester acetic acid · Acetic acid, 1-methylpropyl ester · Acetic acid, 2-butoxy ester · CH3COOCH(CH3)C2H5 · Sec-butyl acetate, (+/-)- · Sec-butyl acetate, (±)- · Sec-butyl alcohol acetate · Sec-butyl ethanoate · UN1123 · UNII-UVH2QII6CG · dl-sec-Butyl acetate · sec-butyl acetate (sara iii) · sec-butylacetate
What it does: Used in cosmetics as a solvent and a skin-conditioning agent.
Solvent
Skin conditioning
Flavouring
Conditioner
Is it a concern?: We haven't assessed a concern score for this ingredient yet. It is listed for cosmetic use in the EU.

Regulation

No restrictions found. Sec-butyl acetate appears in these published regulatory listings.

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Industrial

EUCosIngActivesec-Butyl Acetate is the organic compound
- sec-Butyl Acetate is the organic compoundSource →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 17 composition records across product categories including Medical/dental, Home maintenance, Raw materials. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Solvent, Softener and conditioner, Flavouring and nutrient.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 17 composition records across product categories including Medical/dental, Home maintenance, Raw materials. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Solvent, Softener and conditioner, Flavouring and nutrient.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 Sec-butyl acetate. 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 Sec-butyl acetate yet. This record is compiled from the published data sources below — registries and regulatory listings, not study findings.

6 data sources

Where this comes from

CosIng
regulatory · updated 2026-09-23
Open →
EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated 2020-03-12
Open →
EPA DSSTox Identifiers
chemistry · updated 2025-12-29
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

Nothing to weigh for this context yet.

No signal in this context

We have no published hazard signal for this ingredient, so we cannot say how it behaves in this context — that is missing evidence, not a clean result.

Where it has been recorded

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

Source records

Named organisations

Medical/dentalHome maintenanceRaw materials

Typical roles

SolventSkin conditioningFlavouringConditioner

See products using Sec-butyl acetate →