beauty
cleaning
food
industrial

L-Glutamic acid

CAS 138-16-9 · 60/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 4 other CAS numbers

6899-05-4 · 10549-13-0 · 2087491-17-4 · 56-86-0

Concern score

60/100High concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

L-Glutamic acid in plain language

What it is: On cosmetic ingredient lists it appears as “Glutamic acid”.
Also known as Glutamic acid · (2S)-2-aminopentanedioic acid · (s)-(+)-glutamic acid · Glutamic acid, l- · Glutamidex · L-2-AMINO-PENTANEDIOIC acid
Show all 35 names
L-alpha-aminoglutaric acid · L-glutamate · (S)-2-AMINO-1,5-PENTANEDIOIC acid · (S)-2-Aminopentanedioic acid · (S)-Glutamic acid · 1-Aminopropane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid · 2-AMINOGLUTARIC acid · 2-Aminopentanedioic acid · Acide glutamique · Acido glutamico · Acidum glutamicum · Aciglut · E-620 · E620 · Glutamicol · Glutaminol · Glutaton · Ins NO.620 · INS-620 · L-(+)-glutamic acid · L-Glutaminic acid · L-glu · alpha-aminoglutaric acid · amino acids: l-glutamic acid · gaba · glumatic acid · glutacid · glutamic acid (non-hazardous ingredient) · glutaminic acid
What it does: Used in cosmetics as a humectant, a hair conditioner and an antistatic agent.
Humectant
Hair conditioning
Antistatic
Flavour enhancer, salt substitute
pH adjuster
Flavouring
Is it a concern?: High 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 19 composition records across product categories including Laboratory supplies, Personal care, Raw materials.

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. L-Glutamic acid appears in these published regulatory listings.

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Beauty
Cleaning
Industrial

EUEFSAEFSA opinion4 entries
- Scientific Opinion on the safety of the change in the production method of L-glutamic acid (E620), monosodium L-glutamate (E621), monopotassium L-glutamate (E622), calcium di-L-glutamate (E623), monoammonium Lglutamate (E624) and magnesium di-L-glutamate (E625) (EFSA ANS)Source →
- Re-evaluation of glutamic acid (E 620), sodium glutamate (E 621), potassium glutamate (E 622), calcium glutamate (E 623), ammonium glutamate (E 624) and magnesium glutamate (E 625) as food additives (EFSA ANS)Source →
- Scientific Opinion on the safety and efficacy of the use of amino acids (chemical group 34) when used as flavourings for all animal species (EFSA FEEDAP)Source →
- Scientific Opinion on Flavouring Group Evaluation 401 (FGE.401): gamma-Glutamyl-valyl-glycine from chemical group 34 (EFSA CEF)Source →
EUCosIngActiveListed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.
- Listed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.Source →
GLOBALJECFANOT SPECIFIED (1987)JECFA evaluation lists ADI NOT SPECIFIED (1987). Functional class: flavour enhancer, salt substitute.
- JECFA evaluation lists ADI NOT SPECIFIED (1987). Functional class: flavour enhancer, salt substitute.Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 19 composition records across product categories including Laboratory supplies, Personal care, Raw materials. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Humectant, Anti-static agent, Softener and conditioner.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 19 composition records across product categories including Laboratory supplies, Personal care, Raw materials. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Humectant, 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 of the change in the production method of L-glutamic acid (E620), monosodium L-glutamate (E621), monopotassium L-glutamate (E622), calcium di-L-glutamate (E623), monoammonium Lglutamate (E624) and magnesium di-L-glutamate (E625) (EFSA ANS)
  2015 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
- Re-evaluation of glutamic acid (E 620), sodium glutamate (E 621), potassium glutamate (E 622), calcium glutamate (E 623), ammonium glutamate (E 624) and magnesium glutamate (E 625) as food additives (EFSA ANS)
  2017 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
- Scientific Opinion on the safety and efficacy of the use of amino acids (chemical group 34) when used as flavourings for all animal species (EFSA FEEDAP)
  2014 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
- Scientific Opinion on Flavouring Group Evaluation 401 (FGE.401): gamma-Glutamyl-valyl-glycine from chemical group 34 (EFSA CEF)
  2014 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
JECFA
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives
- JECFA evaluation lists ADI NOT SPECIFIED (1987). Functional class: flavour enhancer, salt substitute.
  Year not recorded · GLOBAL JECFA listing · Read the source →

Evidence & sources

No graded research studies for L-Glutamic acid 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 5, 2012
Open →
EPA DSSTox Identifiers
chemistry · updated 2025-12-29
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 →

Reference links (4)

Openfda substance

en.wikipedia.org

Read →

Openfda substance

accessdata.fda.gov

Read →

Openfda substance

codexalimentarius.net

Read →

Openfda substance

en.wikipedia.org

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

Source records

Named organisations

Laboratory suppliesPersonal careRaw materials

Typical roles

HumectantHair conditioningAntistaticFlavour enhancer, salt substitutepH adjusterFlavouring

See products using L-Glutamic acid →

Catalog

Found in these products

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

See all 158 →Find products without it →