What does Diethyl alpha-ketoglutarate do?

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

Is Diethyl alpha-ketoglutarate safe?

We haven't assessed a concern score for this ingredient yet. It is listed for cosmetic use in the EU.

beauty
industrial

Diethyl alpha-ketoglutarate

CAS 5965-53-7

Concern score

Not assessed — no hazard data yet.

Diethyl alpha-ketoglutarate in plain language

What it is: On cosmetic ingredient lists it appears as “Diethyl ketoglutarate”.
Also known as Diethyl ketoglutarate · .alpha.-ketoglutaric acid diethyl ester · 1,5-Diethyl 2-oxopentanedioate · Diethyl .alpha.-ketoglutarate · Diethyl oxalopropionate · Diethyl oxoglurate
Show all 15 names
Diethyl 2-oxopentanedioate · Glutaric acid, 2-OXO-, diethyl ester · Pentanedioic acid, 2-OXO-, 1,5-DIETHYL ester · Pentanedioic acid, 2-OXO-, diethyl ester · 2-OXOPENTANEDIOIC acid diethyl ester · Diethyl 2-OXOGLUTARATE · Ethyl ethoxalylpropionate · UNII-D9H7KZF90H · diethyl 2-ketoglutarate
What it does: Used in cosmetics as a skin-conditioning agent and a skin protectant.
Skin conditioning
Skin protecting
Humectant
Conditioner
Is it a concern?: We haven't assessed a concern score for this ingredient yet. It is listed for cosmetic use in the EU.

Regulation

No restrictions found. Diethyl alpha-ketoglutarate appears in these published regulatory listings.

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Industrial

EUCosIngActiveDiethyl Ketoglutarate is the organic compound that conforms to the formula:
- Diethyl Ketoglutarate is the organic compound that conforms to the formula:Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 0 composition records across product categories including unclassified products. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Humectant, Softener and conditioner.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 0 composition records across product categories including unclassified products. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Humectant, 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

No expert opinion on file for Diethyl alpha-ketoglutarate. These are the independent scientific bodies that assess ingredients like this one; we show an opinion only when a record we hold cites it.

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.

Evidence & sources

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

6 data sources

Where this comes from

CosIng
regulatory · updated 2026-09-23
Open →
EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated 2019-12-20
Open →
EPA DSSTox Identifiers
chemistry · updated 2025-12-29
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.

Fragrance avoidance

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.

Where it has been recorded

How often EPA CPDat has listed Diethyl alpha-ketoglutarate in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.

Named organisations

Typical roles

Skin conditioningSkin protectingHumectantConditioner

See products using Diethyl alpha-ketoglutarate →