beauty
cleaning
food
industrial

Carrageenan

CAS 8040-42-4 · 40/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 5 other CAS numbers

9000-13-9 · 9000-27-5 · 78005-48-8 · 773852-40-7 · 9000-07-1

Concern score

40/100Moderate concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Carrageenan in plain language

What it is: On cosmetic ingredient lists it appears as “Chondrus crispus powder”.
Also known as Chondrus crispus powder · Sea spen · native Carrageenan · Danish agar (from furcellaria fastigiata) · Eucheuman (from eucheuma spp.) · Hypnean (from hypnea spp.)
Show all 28 names
Iridophycan (from iridaea spp.) · Carrageenin · Furcellaran agar (from furcellaria fastigiata) · Irish moss gelose (from chondrus spp.) · Aec carrageenan gel · Aec carrageenan powder · Aubygum X 23 · Aubygum x 2 · Benvisco LB 2105 · Carrageenan GH · Carrageenan SWG-J · E-407 · Genugel carrageenan · Genuvisco carrageenan · Ins NO.407 · INS-407 · Seaspen pf · carrageen · carrageenan gum · chondrus crispus · irish moss · irish moss extract
What it does: Used in cosmetics as an abrasive. Chondrus Crispus Powder is (carrageenan) the powder obtained from the dried, ground Alga, Chondrus crispus.
Abrasive
Thickener, emulsifier, gelling agent, stabilizer
Emulsifier
Humectant
Thickener
Gelling agent
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 316 composition records across product categories including Raw materials, Personal care, Vehicle.

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. Carrageenan appears in these published regulatory listings.

Inactive ingredient in US drugs

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Beauty
Cleaning
Pharma
Food
Industrial

USFDAinactive ingredient database11 entries — 5 administration routes
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: GRANULE, FOR SUSPENSION; Maximum daily exposure: 161 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: POWDER; Maximum daily exposure: 1 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: POWDER, FOR SUSPENSION; Potency: 15 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: SUSPENSION; Potency: 6 mg/5mlSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: TABLET; Maximum daily exposure: 15 mgSource →
- Route: RESPIRATORY (INHALATION); Dosage form: POWDER; Maximum daily exposure: 1 mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: LOTION; Potency: 0.5 %w/wSource →
- Route: NASAL; Dosage form: POWDER; Potency: NASource →
- Route: DENTAL; Dosage form: PASTE; Potency: 0.3 %w/wSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: CAPSULE; Maximum daily exposure: 3 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: CAPSULE, DELAYED RELEASE; Maximum daily exposure: 1 mgSource →
EUCosIngActive2 entries
- Chondrus Crispus Powder is (carrageenan) the powder obtained from the dried, ground Alga, Chondrus crispusSource →
- Carrageenan is the plant material obtained from various members of the Gigartinaceae or Solieriaceae families of the red seaweed, Rodophyceae.Source →
EUEFSAEFSA opinion2 entries
- Safety and efficacy of a feed additive consisting of carrageenan for pets and other non-food-producing animals (Marinalg International) (EFSA FEEDAP)Source →
- Re-evaluation of carrageenan (E 407) and processed Eucheuma seaweed (E 407a) as food additives (EFSA ANS)Source →
GLOBALJECFAEvaluatedJECFA evaluation record.
- JECFA evaluation record.Source →
GLOBALJECFANOT SPECIFIEDJECFA evaluation lists ADI NOT SPECIFIED. Functional class: thickener, emulsifier, gelling agent, stabilizer.
- JECFA evaluation lists ADI NOT SPECIFIED. Functional class: thickener, emulsifier, gelling agent, stabilizer.Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 316 composition records across product categories including Raw materials, Personal care, Vehicle. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Abrasive, Deodorizer, Viscosity modifier.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 316 composition records across product categories including Raw materials, Personal care, Vehicle. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Abrasive, Deodorizer, Viscosity modifier.Source →
USFDAlisted in openFDA substanceopenFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as mixture.
- openFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as mixture.Source →
USUSDA FoodData Centralobserved in branded food ingredient statementsObserved in 2 USDA branded foods including 1.5OZ LITEHOUSE CHUNKY BLUE CHEESE DRESSING, 1.5OZ LITEHOUSE JALAPENO RANCH DRESSING.
- Observed in 2 USDA branded foods including 1.5OZ LITEHOUSE CHUNKY BLUE CHEESE DRESSING, 1.5OZ LITEHOUSE JALAPENO RANCH DRESSING.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
- Safety and efficacy of a feed additive consisting of carrageenan for pets and other non-food-producing animals (Marinalg International) (EFSA FEEDAP)
  2022 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
- Re-evaluation of carrageenan (E 407) and processed Eucheuma seaweed (E 407a) as food additives (EFSA ANS)
  2018 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
JECFA
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives
- JECFA evaluation record.
  Year not recorded · GLOBAL JECFA listing · Read the source →
- JECFA evaluation lists ADI NOT SPECIFIED. Functional class: thickener, emulsifier, gelling agent, stabilizer.
  Year not recorded · GLOBAL JECFA listing · Read the source →

Evidence & sources

No graded research studies for Carrageenan 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 29, 2012
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 →
USDA Branded Foods
product_occurrence · updated 2026-02-19
Open →

Reference links (2)

Openfda substance

codexalimentarius.net

Read →

Openfda substance

google.com

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

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

Source records

316

Named organisations

Raw materialsPersonal careVehicleCleaning products and household careFood and drug

Typical roles

AbrasiveThickener, emulsifier, gelling agent, stabilizerEmulsifierHumectantThickenerGelling agent

See products using Carrageenan →

Catalog

Found in these products

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

See all 485 →Find products without it →

Co-occurrence

Often appears with

Ingredients that frequently appear alongside Carrageenan in the catalog.