What does Levocarnitine do?

Used in cosmetics as a skin-conditioning agent, a cleansing agent and a hair conditioner.

Is Levocarnitine safe?

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

beauty
cleaning
food
industrial

Levocarnitine

CAS 44985-71-9 · 40/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 4 other CAS numbers

4209-27-2 · 7634-98-2 · 101512-81-6 · 541-15-1

Concern score

40/100Moderate concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Levocarnitine in plain language

What it is: On cosmetic ingredient lists it appears as “Carnitine”.
Also known as Carnitine · L-carnitine · (3R)-3-Hydroxy-4-(trimethylazaniumyl)butanoate · (3R)-3-HYDROXY-4-(TRIMETHYLAMMONIO)BUTANOATE · (R)-(3-Carboxy-2-hydroxypropyl)trimethylammoniumhydroxid · (R)-(3-carboxy-2-hydroxypropyl)trimethylammonium hydroxide
Show all 24 names
(R)-Carnitine · Carnitine, l- · Carnitor · Carnicor · Carnitene · Carnitolo · Carnitor SF · Carnovis · Karnitin · L-gamma-trimethyl-beta-hydroxybutyrobetaine · Lefcar · Levocarnitina · Levocarnitinum · Metina · carrier · gamma-Trimethyl-ammonium-beta-hydroxybutirate · gamma-Trimethyl-beta-hydroxybutyrobetaine · vitamin BT
What it does: Used in cosmetics as a skin-conditioning agent, a cleansing agent and a hair conditioner.
Skin conditioning
Cleansing
Hair conditioning
Antistatic
Foam boosting
Viscosity controlling
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 40 composition records across product categories including Raw materials, Batteries, Electronics/small appliances.

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. Levocarnitine appears in these published regulatory listings.

In marketed US drugs

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Beauty
Cleaning
Pharma
Food
Industrial

EUEFSAEFSA opinion2 entries
- Scientific Opinion on the safety and efficacy of L-carnitine and L-carnitine L-tartrate as feed additives for all animal species based on a dossier submitted by Lonza Benelux BV (EFSA FEEDAP)Source →
- Scientific Opinion on the safety and efficacy of L-carnitine as a feed additive for all animal species based on a dossier submitted by EUROPE-ASIA Import Export GmbH (EFSA FEEDAP)Source →
USFDAmarketed drug occurrence2 entries
- FDA NDC lists this ingredient in 25 active drug products and 25 total products.Source →
- FDA NDC lists this ingredient in 1 active drug products and 2 total products.Source →
EUCosIngActiveListed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.
- Listed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 40 composition records across product categories including Raw materials, Batteries, Electronics/small appliances. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Surfactant (surface active agent), Anti-static agent, Softener and conditioner.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 40 composition records across product categories including Raw materials, Batteries, Electronics/small appliances. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Surfactant (surface active agent), Anti-static agent, Softener and conditioner.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.
EFSA
European Food Safety Authority
- Scientific Opinion on the safety and efficacy of L-carnitine and L-carnitine L-tartrate as feed additives for all animal species based on a dossier submitted by Lonza Benelux BV (EFSA FEEDAP)
  2012 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
- Scientific Opinion on the safety and efficacy of L-carnitine as a feed additive for all animal species based on a dossier submitted by EUROPE-ASIA Import Export GmbH (EFSA FEEDAP)
  2012 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →

Evidence & sources

No graded research studies for Levocarnitine 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 →
EFSA OpenFoodTox
regulatory · updated 2026-10-04
Open →
EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated march 22, 2013
Open →
EPA DSSTox Identifiers
chemistry · updated 2025-12-29
Open →
FDA National Drug Code Directory
regulatory · updated 2027-12-31
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

dailymed.nlm.nih.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

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

Source records

Named organisations

Raw materialsBatteriesElectronics/small appliancesIndustrial productsPersonal careFood and drug

Typical roles

Skin conditioningCleansingHair conditioningAntistaticFoam boostingViscosity controlling

See products using Levocarnitine →

Catalog

Found in these products

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

See all 1000+ →Find products without it →

Co-occurrence

Often appears with

Ingredients that frequently appear alongside Levocarnitine in the catalog.