What does Cholesterol do?

Used in cosmetics as an emollient, an emulsifier and a skin-conditioning agent.

Low concern: no hazard classifications on record. It is listed for cosmetic use in the EU.

beauty
cleaning
food
industrial

Cholesterol

CAS 22243-67-0 · 0/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 17 other CAS numbers

129111-15-5 · 80356-14-5 · 80356-33-8 · 209124-38-9 · 218965-24-3 · 262418-13-3 · 378185-03-6 · 676322-57-9 · 732297-95-9 · 793670-51-6 · 849593-11-9 · 856708-55-9 · 2016865-06-6 · 2363129-31-9 · 2760344-17-8 · 2761910-55-6 · 57-88-5

Concern score

0/100Low concern — well-established and permitted without restriction (CIR safe as used; EU CosIng).

High confidence

Cholesterol in plain language

What it is: Also known as CHOLEST-5-EN-3-OL (3.BETA.)- · Cholest-5-en-3beta-ol · Dythol · Lidinit · Lidinite · Provitamin-d
Show all 36 names
(3.beta.) - Cholest-5-en-3-ol · 3beta-Hydroxycholest-5-ene · 5:6-Cholesten-3beta-ol · CHOLEST-5-EN-3.BETA.-OL · Cholest-5-en-3-ol (3b)- · Cholest-5-en-3-ol (3beta)- · Cholest-5-en-3-ol (beta)- · Cholest-5-en-3β-ol · Cholesterin · Cholesterine · Cholesterol base H · Cholesteryl alcohol · Cholestrin · Cholestrol · Cordulan · Dusoline · Dusoran · Hydrocerin · Kathro · Lanol · Nimco cholesterol base H · Super hartolan · SyntheChol · Tegolan · delta5-Cholesten-3beta-ol · ALF component cholesterol · ALF43 component cholesterol · ALFQ component cholesterol · Army Liposome Formulation component cholesterol · Cholesterinum
What it does: Used in cosmetics as an emollient, an emulsifier and a skin-conditioning agent.
Emollient
Emulsifying
Skin conditioning
Light stabilizer
Viscosity controlling
Emulsifier
Is it a concern?: Low 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 765 composition records across product categories including Food and drug, Laboratory supplies, Personal care.

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. Cholesterol appears in these published regulatory listings.

In marketed US drugs
Inactive ingredient in US drugs

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Beauty
Cleaning
Pharma
Food
Industrial

USFDAinactive ingredient database10 entries — 5 administration routes
- Route: EPIDURAL; Dosage form: INJECTION, SUSPENSION, LIPOSOMAL; Maximum daily exposure: 7 mgSource →
- Route: INFILTRATION; Dosage form: INJECTABLE, LIPOSOMAL; Potency: 0.47 %w/vSource →
- Route: INTRAVENOUS; Dosage form: INJECTABLE, LIPOSOMAL; Maximum daily exposure: 437 mgSource →
- Route: INTRAVENOUS; Dosage form: INJECTION; Maximum daily exposure: 93 mgSource →
- Route: INTRAVENOUS; Dosage form: INJECTION, POWDER, FOR SUSPENSION; Potency: 52 mgSource →
- Route: INTRAVENOUS; Dosage form: INJECTION, SUSPENSION, LIPOSOMAL; Potency: 0.32 %w/vSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: CREAM; Potency: 1 %w/wSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: LOTION; Maximum daily exposure: 20 mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: OINTMENT; Potency: 5 %w/wSource →
- Route: VAGINAL; Dosage form: CREAM; Potency: 0.3 %w/wSource →
EUCosIngActiveListed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.
- Listed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 765 composition records across product categories including Food and drug, Laboratory supplies, Personal care. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Softener and conditioner, Emulsifier, Viscosity modifier.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 765 composition records across product categories including Food and drug, Laboratory supplies, Personal care. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Softener and conditioner, Emulsifier, Viscosity modifier.Source →
USFDAmarketed drug occurrenceFDA NDC lists this ingredient in 43 active drug products and 47 total products.
- FDA NDC lists this ingredient in 43 active drug products and 47 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

No expert opinion on file for Cholesterol. 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 Cholesterol yet. This record is compiled from the published data sources below — registries and regulatory listings, not study findings.

8 data sources

Where this comes from

CosIng
regulatory · updated 2026-09-23
Open →
EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated September 2018
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 2029-02-21
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 (5)

Openfda substance

sciencedirect.com

Read →

Openfda substance

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Read →

Openfda substance

uniprot.org

Read →

Openfda substance

en.wikipedia.org

Read →

Openfda substance

clinicaltrials.gov

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

Source records

765

Named organisations

Food and drugLaboratory suppliesPersonal careBatteries

Typical roles

EmollientEmulsifyingSkin conditioningLight stabilizerViscosity controllingEmulsifier

See products using Cholesterol →

Catalog

Found in these products

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

See all 404 →Find products without it →

Co-occurrence

Often appears with

Ingredients that frequently appear alongside Cholesterol in the catalog.