- beauty
- cleaning
- food
- industrial
Potassium metabisulfite
CAS 16731-55-8
Also registered as 1 other CAS number
4429-42-9
Concern score
Not assessed — no hazard data yet.
Potassium metabisulfite in plain language
Also known as Dipotassium oxido(oxo)-lambda~4~-sulfanesulfonate · E-224 · Fertisilo · INS-224 · Potassium metabisulfite (e 224) · Potassium pentaoxodisulfate
Show all 23 names
Sobisu · Bisulfite de dipotassium · Dipotassium pyrosulfite · Dikaliumdisulfit · Dipotassium disulfite · Dipotassium metabisulfite · dipotassium salt Disulfurous acid · Potassium disulfite · Potassium metabisulphite · Potassium disulfite (K2S2O5) · Potassium metabisulfite (K2S2O5) · Potassium pyrosulfite (K2S2O5) · dipotassium salt Pyrosulfurous acid · Sulfite, potassium metabi- · dipotassium disulphite · potassium bisulfite · potassium pyrosulfite
Used in consumer products as an antioxidant, a preservative and a colourant.
- Antioxidant
- Preservative
- Colourant
- Fragrance
- Hair waving/straightening
- Antimicrobial
- We haven't assessed a concern score for this ingredient yet.
Regulation
No restrictions found. Potassium metabisulfite appears in these published regulatory listings.
- Inactive ingredient in US drugs
- Found in consumer products
- Beauty
- Cleaning
- Pharma
- Food
- Industrial
USFDAinactive ingredient database7 entries — 5 administration routes
- Route: AURICULAR (OTIC); Dosage form: SOLUTION; Potency: 0.11 %w/vSource →
- Route: AURICULAR (OTIC); Dosage form: SUSPENSION; Potency: NASource →
- Route: INFILTRATION; Dosage form: INJECTION; Maximum daily exposure: 30 mgSource →
- Route: INTRAVENOUS; Dosage form: INJECTION; Potency: 0.6 mgSource →
- Route: INTRAVENOUS; Dosage form: INJECTION, SOLUTION; Potency: 0.05 %w/vSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: TABLET, COATED; Potency: 0.6 mgSource →
- Route: RECTAL; Dosage form: ENEMA; Maximum daily exposure: 282 mgSource →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 44 composition records across product categories including Cleaning and safety, Specialty occupational products, Home maintenance. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Preservative, Reducing agent, Hair waving or straightening.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 44 composition records across product categories including Cleaning and safety, Specialty occupational products, Home maintenance. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Preservative, Reducing agent, Hair waving or straightening.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 Potassium metabisulfite. 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.
JECFA
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives
No JECFA evaluation on file.
EFSA
European Food Safety Authority
No EFSA opinion on file.
Evidence & sources
No graded research studies for Potassium metabisulfite yet. This record is compiled from the published data sources below — registries and regulatory listings, not study findings.
Where this comes from
- Open →
EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated September 2013
- Open →
EPA DSSTox Identifiers
chemistry · updated 2025-12-29
- Open →
FDA Inactive Ingredient Database
regulatory · updated 2026-01-09
- 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
Reference links (2)
codexalimentarius.net
Allergen profile
Canonical allergen markers detected on this ingredient. Each row is derived from the ingredient’s name or synonyms matching a known allergen class — useful when scanning a label for a specific allergy context.
- SulphitesContains · Oral (ingested)
Source: chemindex_name_match
Suitability
Context-specific fit derived from published classifications and the current ingredient evidence profile.
Food use
Nothing to weigh for this context yet.
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.
Fragrance avoidance
Not a strong fit for fragrance avoidance because it carries Fragrance.
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 Potassium metabisulfite in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.
Source records
44
Named organisations
6
Cleaning and safetySpecialty occupational productsHome maintenanceLaboratory suppliesFood and drugRaw materials
Typical roles
AntioxidantPreservativeColourantFragranceHair waving/straighteningAntimicrobial
Found in these products
Their ingredient lists include Potassium metabisulfite; each product's own rating depends on its whole formula, so it is shown on the product page, not here.
