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Zinc PCA

CAS 14317-64-7 · 20/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 5 other CAS numbers

876748-44-6 · 880647-15-4 · 1227262-91-0 · 15454-75-8 · 68107-75-5

Zinc PCA chemical structure

Concern score

20/100Minor concern based on regulatory listings.
High confidence

Zinc PCA in plain language

What it is

Also known as Zinc pidolate · Zinc L-pidolate · Proline, 5-OXO-, zinc salt (2:1), l- · Zinc l-pyroglutamate · Zinc pyroglutamate · Zinc pyrrolidone carboxylate

Show all 17 names

Zinc pyrrolidonecarboxylate · Zinc, BIS(5-OXO-L-PROLINATO)- · zinc bis((2S)-5-oxopyrrolidine-2-carboxylate) · "Pyroglutamic acid, zinc salt" · Bis(5-oxo-L-prolinato-N1,O2)zinc · Cleansing Foaming Gel · Cleansing Foaming Gel Acne Pro Skin · Proline, 5-oxo-, zinc salt · UNII-C32PQ86DH4 · Zinc, bis(5-oxo-L-prolinato-kappaN1,kappaO2)-, (T-4)- · zinc;(2S)-5-oxopyrrolidine-2-carboxylate

What it does

Used in cosmetics as a humectant and a skin-conditioning agent.

  • Humectant
  • Skin conditioning
  • Conditioner
  • Anti-dandruff
  • Antimicrobial
Is it a concern?
Minor 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 294 composition records across product categories including Personal care, Food and drug.

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. Zinc PCA appears in these published regulatory listings.

  • In marketed US drugs

Recorded in these product areas

  • Found in consumer products
  • Beauty
  • Cleaning
  • Pharma
  • Food
  • EUCosIngActiveRestriction: III/24
  • EUEFSAEFSA opinionOpinion of the Scientific Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in Contact with Food on a request from the Commission related to Calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc L-pidolate as sources for calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc added for nutritional purposes to food supplements and to foods intended for particular nutritional uses (EFSA AFC)
    • Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in Contact with Food on a request from the Commission related to Calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc L-pidolate as sources for calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc added for nutritional purposes to food supplements and to foods intended for particular nutritional uses (EFSA AFC)Source →
  • USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 294 composition records across product categories including Personal care, Food and drug. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Softener and conditioner, Biocide, Anti-dandruff.
    • EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 294 composition records across product categories including Personal care, Food and drug. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Softener and conditioner, Biocide, Anti-dandruff.Source →
  • USFDAmarketed drug occurrenceFDA NDC lists this ingredient in 1 active drug products and 1 total products.
    • FDA NDC lists this ingredient in 1 active drug products and 1 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

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

    • Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in Contact with Food on a request from the Commission related to Calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc L-pidolate as sources for calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc added for nutritional purposes to food supplements and to foods intended for particular nutritional uses (EFSA AFC)

      2007 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →

Evidence & sources

No graded research studies for Zinc PCA 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 September 2018

    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 →

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

Source records

294

Named organisations

6

Personal careFood and drug

Typical roles

HumectantSkin conditioningConditionerAnti-dandruffAntimicrobial
See products using Zinc PCA →

Catalog

Found in these products

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