beauty
food
industrial
pharma

Tbhq

CAS 29863-17-0 · 40/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 4 other CAS numbers

68816-56-8 · 123477-69-0 · 140627-33-4 · 1948-33-0

Concern score

40/100Moderate concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Tbhq in plain language

What it is: Also known as Tert-butylhydroquinone · Tertiary butyl hydroquinone · T-butylhydroquinone · Tertiary butylhydroquinone · BUTYLHYDROQUINONE, tert- · Tertiary-Butylhydroquinone
Show all 33 names
2-tert-Butylbenzene-1,4-diol · Butylhydroquinone,tert- · Mono-tertiarybutylhydroquinone · 1,4-Benzenediol, 2-(1,1-dimethylethyl)- · 2,5-Di-tert-butylhydroquinone · 2-(1,1-Dimethylethyl)-1,4-benzenediol · 2-(1,1-Dimethylethyl)hydroquinone · 2-(tert-Butyl)-p-hydroquinone · 2-t-Butyl-1,4-benzenediol · 2-t-Butylhydroquinone · 2-terc-butilhidroquinona · 2-tert-Butyl(1,4)hydroquinone · 2-tert-Butyl-1,4-benzenediol · 2-tert-Butylhydroquinone · 2-tertiary-butylhydroquinone · Banox 20BA · E-319 · Hydroquinone, tert-butyl- · Ins NO.319 · INS-319 · Mtbhq · Mono-Tert-Butylhydroquinone · Sustane · Tenox TBHQ · t-butyl hydroquinone · tert-Butyl-1,4-benzenediol · tert-Butylhydrochinone
What it does: Used in cosmetics as an antioxidant and a fragrance ingredient.
Antioxidant
Perfuming
Fragrance
Deodorant
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 99 composition records across product categories including Pesticides, Laboratory supplies, Specialty occupational products.

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. Tbhq appears in these published regulatory listings.

Inactive ingredient in US drugs

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Beauty
Industrial

EUEFSAEFSA opinion2 entries
- Statement on the refined exposure assessment of tertiary-butyl hydroquinone (E 319) (EFSA ANS)Source →
- 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 tertiary-Butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) (EFSA AFC)Source →
EUCosIngActiveListed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.
- Listed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.Source →
GLOBALJECFAEvaluatedJECFA evaluation record.
- JECFA evaluation record.Source →
GLOBALJECFA0-0.7 mg/kg bwJECFA evaluation lists ADI 0-0.7 mg/kg bw. Functional class: antioxidant.
- JECFA evaluation lists ADI 0-0.7 mg/kg bw. Functional class: antioxidant.Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 99 composition records across product categories including Pesticides, Laboratory supplies, Specialty occupational products. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Antioxidant, Deodorizer, Fragrance.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 99 composition records across product categories including Pesticides, Laboratory supplies, Specialty occupational products. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Antioxidant, Deodorizer, Fragrance.Source →
USFDAlisted in openFDA substanceopenFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as chemical.
- openFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as chemical.Source →
USFDAinactive ingredient databaseRoute: VAGINAL; Dosage form: CREAM; Maximum daily exposure: 1 mg
- Route: VAGINAL; Dosage form: CREAM; Maximum daily exposure: 1 mgSource →

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
- Statement on the refined exposure assessment of tertiary-butyl hydroquinone (E 319) (EFSA ANS)
  2016 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
- 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 tertiary-Butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) (EFSA AFC)
  2004 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
JECFA
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives
- JECFA evaluation record.
  Year not recorded · GLOBAL JECFA listing · Read the source →
- JECFA evaluation lists ADI 0-0.7 mg/kg bw. Functional class: antioxidant.
  Year not recorded · GLOBAL JECFA listing · Read the source →

Evidence & sources

No graded research studies for Tbhq yet. This record is compiled from the published data sources below — registries and regulatory listings, not study findings.

9 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 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 →

Reference links (2)

Openfda substance

codexalimentarius.net

Read →

Openfda substance

apps.who.int

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

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

Source records

Named organisations

PesticidesLaboratory suppliesSpecialty occupational productsPersonal care

Typical roles

AntioxidantPerfumingFragranceDeodorant

See products using Tbhq →

Catalog

Found in these products

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

See all 15 →Find products without it →