beauty
cleaning
food
industrial

Potassium carbonate

CAS 30095-94-4 · 40/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 3 other CAS numbers

1643774-52-0 · 2976383-45-4 · 584-08-7

Concern score

40/100Moderate concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Potassium carbonate in plain language

What it is: Also known as Potash · Dipotassium salt carbonic acid · Dcad plus · Dipotassium carbonate · Pearl ash · Anhydrous potassium carbonate
Show all 25 names
Carbonate de potassium · Carbonate of potash · Carbonic acid potassium salt (1:2) · E-501(I) · Ins NO.501(I) · INS-501(I) · K-Gran · K2CO3 · Kali Carb · Kalium carbonicum · Kaliumcarbonat · Potassium carbonate (K2CO3) · Salt of tartar · carbonato de potasio · potassium carbonate (10-15%) · potassium carbonate (2:1) · potassium carbonate (5-10%) · potassium carbonate (cas #584-08-7) · Kali carbonicum
What it does: Used in cosmetics as a pH buffer.
Buffering
Acidity regulator
Chelating agent
pH adjuster
Flavouring
Antimicrobial
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 1439 composition records across product categories including Home maintenance, Cleaning products and household care, 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. Potassium carbonate appears in these published regulatory listings.

In marketed US drugs
Inactive ingredient in US drugs

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Cleaning
Industrial

USFDAinactive ingredient database5 entries — 2 administration routes
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: SOLUTION; Potency: 6.2 mg/1mlSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: TABLET; Maximum daily exposure: 120 mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: CREAM; Potency: NASource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: CAPSULE; Potency: 27.69 mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: SOLUTION; Potency: 15 %w/wSource →
EUCosIngActiveListed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.
- Listed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.Source →
GLOBALJECFANOT LIMITEDJECFA evaluation lists ADI NOT LIMITED. Functional class: acidity regulator.
- JECFA evaluation lists ADI NOT LIMITED. Functional class: acidity regulator.Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 1439 composition records across product categories including Home maintenance, Cleaning products and household care, Laboratory supplies. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including pH regulating agent, Filler, Biocide.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 1439 composition records across product categories including Home maintenance, Cleaning products and household care, Laboratory supplies. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including pH regulating agent, Filler, Biocide.Source →
USFDAmarketed drug occurrenceFDA NDC lists this ingredient in 195 active drug products and 205 total products.
- FDA NDC lists this ingredient in 195 active drug products and 205 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.
JECFA
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives
- JECFA evaluation lists ADI NOT LIMITED. Functional class: acidity regulator.
  Year not recorded · GLOBAL JECFA listing · Read the source →

Evidence & sources

No graded research studies for Potassium carbonate 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 →
EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated march 7, 2019
Open →
EPA DSSTox Identifiers
chemistry · updated 2025-12-29
Open →
FDA Inactive Ingredient Database
regulatory · updated 2026-01-09
Open →
FDA National Drug Code Directory
regulatory · updated 2029-10-31
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

codexalimentarius.net

Read →

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 Potassium carbonate in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.

Source records

1,439

Named organisations

Home maintenanceCleaning products and household careLaboratory suppliesSpecialty occupational productsMedical/dentalBatteries

Typical roles

BufferingAcidity regulatorChelating agentpH adjusterFlavouringAntimicrobial

See products using Potassium carbonate →

Catalog

Found in these products

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

See all 26 →Find products without it →