beauty
cleaning
food
industrial

Oleic acid

CAS 90459-83-9 · 40/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 15 other CAS numbers

90459-84-0 · 90459-85-1 · 90459-86-2 · 93925-19-0 · 99148-48-8 · 100402-66-2 · 8046-01-3 · 17156-84-2 · 56833-51-3 · 949900-16-7 · 1190712-11-8 · 1190965-71-9 · 1380514-02-2 · 2252262-80-7 · 112-80-1

Concern score

40/100Moderate concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Oleic acid in plain language

What it is: Also known as (9Z)-Octadec-9-enoic acid · (Z)-octadec-9-enoic acid · 9-OCTADECENOIC acid, (z)- · 9Z-OCTADECENOIC acid · Osteum · Priolene 6936
Show all 44 names
Vopcolene 27 · Wecoline oo · 18:1(N-9) · 9,10-Octadecenoic acid · 9-Octadecenoic acid · 9-Octadecenoic acid (9Z)- · 9-Octadecenoic acid (Z)- · 9-Octadecenoic acid, (z)-, C18H34O2 · 9-Octadecenoic acid, 9-Octadecenoic acid · 9-cis-Octadecenoic acid · 9-octadecenoic acid (oleic acid) (emersol 210) · CIS-9-OCTADECENOIC acid · Elaidoic acid · Emersol 211 · Glycon RO · Glycon wo · Groco 2 · Groco 4 · Groco 5l · Groco 6 · Industrene 105 · Oleate · Oelsauere · Oleinic acid · Pamolyn · Pamolyn 100 · Tego-oleic 130 · Z-(9)-Octadecenoic acid · cis-Octadec-9-enoic acid · cis-Oleic acid · fatty acid · Endocine component oleic acid · Oleic acid (C18:1) (constituent of krill oil) · Oleic acid (constituent of borage seed oil) · Oleic acid (constituent of evening primrose oil) · Oleic acid (constituent of flax seed oil) · Oleic acid (constituent of saw palmetto) · Oleic acid (constituent of spirulina)
What it does: Used in cosmetics as an emollient and an emulsifier.
Emollient
Emulsifying
Flavouring agent
Emulsifier
Surfactant
pH adjuster
Is it a concern?: Moderate 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 1518 composition records across product categories including Personal care, Furniture and furnishings, 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. Oleic acid appears in these published regulatory listings.

Inactive ingredient in US drugs

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Beauty
Cleaning
Industrial

USFDAinactive ingredient database11 entries — 5 administration routes
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: TABLET, COATED; Potency: 0.72 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: TABLET, EXTENDED RELEASE; Maximum daily exposure: 3 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: TABLET, FILM COATED; Potency: NASource →
- Route: RESPIRATORY (INHALATION); Dosage form: AEROSOL, METERED; Potency: 0.01 %w/wSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: CREAM; Potency: 25 %w/wSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: CAPSULE; Maximum daily exposure: 8759 mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: SOLUTION; Potency: 7.4 %w/wSource →
- Route: TRANSDERMAL; Dosage form: FILM, EXTENDED RELEASE; Maximum daily exposure: 10 mgSource →
- Route: TRANSDERMAL; Dosage form: SYSTEM; Potency: 22 mgSource →
- Route: INTRAVENOUS; Dosage form: INJECTION, EMULSION; Potency: 0.03 %w/vSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: GEL, METERED; Maximum daily exposure: 88 mgSource →
EUCosIngActiveListed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.
- Listed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.Source →
EUEFSAEFSA opinionOpinion of the Scientific Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in Contact with Food (AFC) on a request from the Commission related to a 1st list of substances for food contact materials (EFSA AFC)
- Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in Contact with Food (AFC) on a request from the Commission related to a 1st list of substances for food contact materials (EFSA AFC)Source →
GLOBALJECFANo safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agentJECFA evaluation lists ADI No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent. Functional class: flavouring agent.
- JECFA evaluation lists ADI No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent. Functional class: flavouring agent.Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 1518 composition records across product categories including Personal care, Furniture and furnishings, Laboratory supplies. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Surfactant (surface active agent), Lubricating agent, Softener and conditioner.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 1518 composition records across product categories including Personal care, Furniture and furnishings, Laboratory supplies. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Surfactant (surface active agent), Lubricating agent, Softener and conditioner.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
- Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in Contact with Food (AFC) on a request from the Commission related to a 1st list of substances for food contact materials (EFSA AFC)
  2003 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
JECFA
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives
- JECFA evaluation lists ADI No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent. Functional class: flavouring agent.
  Year not recorded · GLOBAL JECFA listing · Read the source →

Evidence & sources

No graded research studies for Oleic acid yet. This record is compiled from the published data sources below — registries and regulatory listings, not study findings.

9 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 october 14, 2014
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 →
WHO JECFA Database
regulatory · updated 2026-10-04
Open →
openFDA Substance
registry · updated 2026-05-24
Open →
PubChem Live Enrichment
chemistry · updated 2026-05-17
Open →

Reference links (1)

Openfda substance

en.wikipedia.org

Read →

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.

FishContains · Oral (ingested)
Source: chemindex_name_match

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

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 Oleic acid in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.

Source records

1,518

Named organisations

Personal careFurniture and furnishingsLaboratory suppliesCleaning products and household careIndustrial productsSpecialty occupational products

Typical roles

EmollientEmulsifyingFlavouring agentEmulsifierSurfactantpH adjuster

See products using Oleic acid →

Catalog

Found in these products

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

See all 189 →Find products without it →

Co-occurrence

Often appears with

Ingredients that frequently appear alongside Oleic acid in the catalog.

Fatty acids, C16-18 and C18-unsatd.Co occurs