beauty
cleaning
food
industrial

Benzoic acid

CAS 65-85-0

Also registered as 4 other CAS numbers

14322-82-8 · 8013-63-6 · 331473-08-6 · 2244876-11-5

Concern score

Not assessed — no hazard data yet.

Benzoic acid in plain language

What it is: Also known as Benzenecarboxylic acid · Carboxybenzene · Dracylic acid · B a · Benzoic acid (e 210) · Acide benzoique
Show all 35 names
Benzoate · Benzoesaeure · Benzeneformic acid · Benzenemethanoic acid · Benzoesaeure GK · Benzoesaeure GV · Benzoesaure · Benzoic acid, tech. · E-210 · HA 1 (acid) · Ins NO.210 · INS-210 · Kyselina benzoova · Menno-florades · Phenylcarboxylic acid · Phenylformic acid · Retarder BA · Retardex · Salvo liquid · Solvo powder · Tenn-Plas · Unisept BZA · Vevovitall · acido benzoico · benzoic acid (sara iii) · benzoic acid (cercla) · benzoic acid (sara iii) - 2.5 mg/ml · benzoic acid. ld50:oral(rat)2530 mg/kg. · Benzoicum acidum
What it does: Used in consumer products as an antioxidant, a preservative and a pH adjuster.
Antioxidant
Preservative
pH adjuster
Fragrance
Flavouring
Deodorant
Is it a concern?: We haven't assessed a concern score for this ingredient yet.

Regulation

No restrictions found. Benzoic acid 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 database23 entries — 8 administration routes
- Route: INTRAMUSCULAR; Dosage form: INJECTION; Potency: 5 %w/vSource →
- Route: INTRAMUSCULAR; Dosage form: INJECTION, SOLUTION; Potency: 0.2 %w/vSource →
- Route: INTRAVENOUS; Dosage form: INJECTION; Potency: 5 %w/vSource →
- Route: IRRIGATION; Dosage form: SOLUTION; Potency: 0.02 %w/vSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: CONCENTRATE; Potency: 12.5 mg/5mlSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: ELIXIR; Maximum daily exposure: 90 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: LIQUID; Potency: 2 mg/1mlSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: SOLUTION; Maximum daily exposure: 100 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: SUSPENSION; Potency: 15 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: SYRUP; Maximum daily exposure: 20 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: TABLET, COATED; Potency: NASource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: TABLET, FILM COATED; Potency: NASource →
- Route: RECTAL; Dosage form: GEL; Maximum daily exposure: 11 mgSource →
- Route: RECTAL; Dosage form: SUSPENSION; Potency: 0.1 %w/wSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: AEROSOL, FOAM; Maximum daily exposure: 1 mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: CREAM; Maximum daily exposure: 6 mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: GEL; Potency: 0.1 %w/wSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: LOTION; Potency: 0.2 %w/wSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: SOLUTION; Potency: 0.1 %w/wSource →
- Route: VAGINAL; Dosage form: AEROSOL, FOAM; Potency: 0.1 %w/wSource →
- Route: VAGINAL; Dosage form: CREAM; Maximum daily exposure: 10 mgSource →
- Route: VAGINAL; Dosage form: SUPPOSITORY; Potency: 2 mgSource →
- Route: BUCCAL; Dosage form: MOUTHWASH; Potency: NASource →
GLOBALJECFAEvaluatedJECFA evaluation record.
- JECFA evaluation record.Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 2107 composition records across product categories including Furniture and furnishings, Laboratory supplies, Food and drug. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Fragrance, Preservative, Deodorizer.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 2107 composition records across product categories including Furniture and furnishings, Laboratory supplies, Food and drug. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Fragrance, Preservative, Deodorizer.Source →
USFDAmarketed drug occurrenceFDA NDC lists this ingredient in 72 active drug products and 84 total products.
- FDA NDC lists this ingredient in 72 active drug products and 84 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.
JECFA
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives
- JECFA evaluation record.
  Year not recorded · GLOBAL JECFA listing · Read the source →
EFSA
European Food Safety Authority
No EFSA opinion on file.

Evidence & sources

No graded research studies for Benzoic 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

EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated september 6, 2017
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 2029-08-02
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 (2)

Openfda substance

codexalimentarius.net

Read →

Openfda substance

pubs.acs.org

Read →

Suitability

Context-specific fit derived from published classifications and the current ingredient evidence profile.

Food use

Nothing to weigh for this context yet.

No signal in this context

We have no published hazard signal for this ingredient, so we cannot say how it behaves in this context — that is missing evidence, not a clean result.

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

Source records

2,107

Named organisations

Furniture and furnishingsLaboratory suppliesFood and drugRaw materialsIndustrial productsSpecialty occupational products

Typical roles

AntioxidantPreservativepH adjusterFragranceFlavouringDeodorant

See products using Benzoic acid →

Catalog

Found in these products

Their ingredient lists include Benzoic acid; 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 Benzoic acid in the catalog.