beauty
cleaning
food
pharma

Sorbitan monopalmitate

CAS 1338-40-5 · 40/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 5 other CAS numbers

52624-48-3 · 69073-01-4 · 76011-52-4 · 1158979-22-6 · 26266-57-9

Sorbitan monopalmitate chemical structure

Concern score

40/100Moderate concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Sorbitan monopalmitate in plain language

What it is: On cosmetic ingredient lists it appears as “Sorbitan palmitate”.
Also known as Sorbitan palmitate · Sorbitan monohexadecanoate · 1,4-ANHYDRO-D-GLUCITOL, 6-HEXADECANOATE · D-glucitol, 1,4-ANHYDRO-, 6-HEXADECANOATE · Sorbitan, esters, monohexadecanoate · Monohexadecanoate sorbitan
Show all 18 names
Arlacel 40 · E-495 · Emasol P 10 · Emasol P 10(F) · Glycomul P · Ins NO.495 · INS-495 · Nikkol SP 10 · Nissan Nonion PP 40 · Nissan Nonion PP 40R · Nonion PP 40 · Span 40
What it does: Used in cosmetics as an emulsifier.
Emulsifying
Emulsifier
Surfactant
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 245 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. Sorbitan monopalmitate appears in these published regulatory listings.

Inactive ingredient in US drugs

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Beauty
Cleaning
Pharma
Food

USFDAinactive ingredient database4 entries
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: LIQUID; Potency: 2 %w/wSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: LOTION; Maximum daily exposure: 20 mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: SYSTEM; Potency: 10.5 mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: CREAM; Potency: 2 %w/wSource →
EUCosIngActiveSorbitan palmitate
- Sorbitan palmitateSource →
EUEFSAEFSA opinionRe-evaluation of sorbitan monostearate (E 491), sorbitan tristearate (E 492), sorbitan monolaurate (E 493), sorbitan monooleate (E 494) and sorbitan monopalmitate (E 495) when used as food additives (EFSA ANS)
- Re-evaluation of sorbitan monostearate (E 491), sorbitan tristearate (E 492), sorbitan monolaurate (E 493), sorbitan monooleate (E 494) and sorbitan monopalmitate (E 495) when used as food additives (EFSA ANS)Source →
GLOBALJECFA0-25 mg/kg bwJECFA evaluation lists ADI 0-25 mg/kg bw. Functional class: emulsifier.
- JECFA evaluation lists ADI 0-25 mg/kg bw. Functional class: emulsifier.Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 245 composition records across product categories including Personal care, Food and drug. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Emulsifier, Surfactant (surface active agent), Dispersing agent.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 245 composition records across product categories including Personal care, Food and drug. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Emulsifier, Surfactant (surface active agent), Dispersing agent.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
- Re-evaluation of sorbitan monostearate (E 491), sorbitan tristearate (E 492), sorbitan monolaurate (E 493), sorbitan monooleate (E 494) and sorbitan monopalmitate (E 495) when used as food additives (EFSA ANS)
  2017 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
JECFA
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives
- JECFA evaluation lists ADI 0-25 mg/kg bw. Functional class: emulsifier.
  Year not recorded · GLOBAL JECFA listing · Read the source →

Evidence & sources

No graded research studies for Sorbitan monopalmitate 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 2019
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 →

Reference links (1)

Openfda substance

codexalimentarius.net

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

Source records

245

Named organisations

Personal careFood and drug

Typical roles

EmulsifyingEmulsifierSurfactant

See products using Sorbitan monopalmitate →

Catalog

Found in these products

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

See all 21 →Find products without it →