What does Ethyl protocatechuate do?

Used in cosmetics as an antimicrobial, an antioxidant and a skin-conditioning agent.

Is Ethyl protocatechuate safe?

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

beauty
industrial

Ethyl protocatechuate

CAS 3943-89-3

Concern score

Not assessed — no hazard data yet.

Ethyl protocatechuate in plain language

What it is: On cosmetic ingredient lists it appears as “Ethyl 3,4-DIHYDROXYBENZOATE”.
Also known as Ethyl 3,4-DIHYDROXYBENZOATE · 3,4-DHBEEOP · 3,4-Dihydroxy-benzoic acid ethyl ester · 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid ethyl ester · Benzoic acid, 3,4-dihydroxy-, ethyl ester · Ec 223-529-0
Show all 10 names
Edhb · Kbpubcvjhfxpoc-uhfffaoysa-n · UNII-4YGJ96WTBG · protocatechuic acid ethyl ester
What it does: Used in cosmetics as an antimicrobial, an antioxidant and a skin-conditioning agent.
Antimicrobial
Antioxidant
Skin conditioning
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. Ethyl protocatechuate appears in these published regulatory listings.

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Industrial

EUCosIngActiveEthyl 3,4-Dihydroxybenzoate is the ethyl ester of 3,4-Dihydroxybenzoic Acid that conforms to the formula
- Ethyl 3,4-Dihydroxybenzoate is the ethyl ester of 3,4-Dihydroxybenzoic Acid that conforms to the formulaSource →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 0 composition records across product categories including unclassified products.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 0 composition records across product categories including unclassified 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

No expert opinion on file for Ethyl protocatechuate. 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 Ethyl protocatechuate 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 2019-04-29
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 →

Reference links (1)

Openfda substance

chemicalbook.com

Read →

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 Ethyl protocatechuate in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.

Named organisations

Typical roles

AntimicrobialAntioxidantSkin conditioning

See products using Ethyl protocatechuate →