beauty
cleaning
food
pharma

Malic acid, l-

CAS 26999-59-7 · 40/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 5 other CAS numbers

498-37-3 · 6294-10-6 · 84781-39-5 · 124501-05-9 · 97-67-6

Concern score

40/100Moderate concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Malic acid, l- in plain language

What it is: On cosmetic ingredient lists it appears as “Malic acid”.
Also known as Malic acid · L-malic acid · Malic acid l-(-)-form · (2S)-2-Hydroxybutanedioic acid · Apple acid · Butanedioic acid, 2-HYDROXY-, (2S)-
Show all 18 names
Hydroxybutanedioic acid, (-)- · Hydroxysuccinnic acid (-) · L-malate · (-)-Hydroxysuccinic acid · (-)-Malic acid · (2S)-2-Hydroxysuccinic acid · 2-Hydroxybutanedioic acid, (S)- · Acide L-malique · Butenedioic acid, hydroxy-, (2S)- · Hydroxybutanedioic acid, (S)- · L-Apple acid · S-(-)-Malic acid
What it does: Used in cosmetics as a pH buffer.
Buffering
Flavouring 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 3 composition records across product categories including Cleaning products and household 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. Malic acid, l- appears in these published regulatory listings.

Inactive ingredient in US drugs

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Cleaning

USFDAinactive ingredient database2 entries
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: SOLUTION; Potency: 34 mg/10mlSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: TABLET; Potency: NASource →
EUCosIngActiveListed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.
- Listed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.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 3 composition records across product categories including Cleaning products and household care. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Biocide, Flavouring and nutrient, Synergist.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 3 composition records across product categories including Cleaning products and household care. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Biocide, Flavouring and nutrient, Synergist.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 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 Malic acid, l- 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 February 8, 2019
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 →

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 Malic acid, l- in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.

Source records

Named organisations

Cleaning products and household care

Typical roles

BufferingFlavouring agentpH adjusterFlavouringAntimicrobial

See products using Malic acid, l- →

Catalog

Found in these products

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

See all 95 →Find products without it →