What does Potassium bitartrate do?

Used in cosmetics as a pH buffer.

Is Potassium bitartrate safe?

Minor concern: no hazard classifications on record. It is listed for cosmetic use in the EU.

beauty
food
industrial
pharma

Potassium bitartrate

CAS 35-04-1 · 20/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 2 other CAS numbers

6381-58-4 · 868-14-4

Concern score

20/100Minor concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Potassium bitartrate in plain language

What it is: Also known as Potassium hydrogen tartrate · Potassium acid tartrate · Acid potassium tartrate · E336 · Faecla · Faecula
Show all 22 names
Monopotassium tartrate (336(I)) · Potassium hydrogentartrate · Purified cream of tartar · Potassium (2R,3R)-3-carboxy-2,3-dihydroxypropanoate · potassium (2R,3R)-2,3,4-trihydroxy-4-oxobutanoate · E-336(I) · Faccla · Ins NO.336(I) · INS-336(I) · Monopotassium tartrate · Potassium hydrogen L(+)-tartrate · Potassium hydrotartrate · Potassium tartrate (KHC4H4O6) · Tartaric acid monopotassium salt · cream of tartar · potassium bitartrate.
What it does: Used in cosmetics as a pH buffer.
Buffering
Emulsifier
pH adjuster
Flavouring
Is it a concern?: Minor 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 9 composition records across product categories including Laboratory supplies, Food and drug, Construction and building 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. Potassium bitartrate appears in these published regulatory listings.

In marketed US drugs
Inactive ingredient in US drugs

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Pharma
Food
Industrial

USFDAinactive ingredient database2 entries — 2 administration routes
- Route: VAGINAL; Dosage form: DOUCHE; Potency: 10 %w/wSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: TABLET, EXTENDED RELEASE; Maximum daily exposure: 10 mgSource →
EUCosIngActivePotassium Bitartrate is the organic compound
- Potassium Bitartrate is the organic compoundSource →
EUEFSAEFSA opinionRe-evaluation of L(+)-tartaric acid (E 334), sodium tartrates (E 335), potassium tartrates (E 336), potassium sodium tartrate (E 337) and calcium tartrate (E 354) as food additives (EFSA FAF)
- Re-evaluation of L(+)-tartaric acid (E 334), sodium tartrates (E 335), potassium tartrates (E 336), potassium sodium tartrate (E 337) and calcium tartrate (E 354) as food additives (EFSA FAF)Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 9 composition records across product categories including Laboratory supplies, Food and drug, Construction and building materials. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including pH regulating agent, Flavouring and nutrient, Pharmaceutical.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 9 composition records across product categories including Laboratory supplies, Food and drug, Construction and building materials. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including pH regulating agent, Flavouring and nutrient, Pharmaceutical.Source →
USFDAlisted in openFDA substanceopenFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as chemical.
- openFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as chemical.Source →
USFDAmarketed drug occurrenceFDA NDC lists this ingredient in 4 active drug products and 4 total products.
- FDA NDC lists this ingredient in 4 active drug products and 4 total products.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 L(+)-tartaric acid (E 334), sodium tartrates (E 335), potassium tartrates (E 336), potassium sodium tartrate (E 337) and calcium tartrate (E 354) as food additives (EFSA FAF)
  2020 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →

Evidence & sources

No graded research studies for Potassium bitartrate 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 november 16, 2016
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 2026-12-31
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 →

Reference links (2)

Openfda substance

dailymed.nlm.nih.gov

Read →

Openfda substance

codexalimentarius.net

Read →

Allergen profile

Canonical allergen markers detected on this ingredient. Each row is derived from the ingredient’s name or synonyms matching a known allergen class — useful when scanning a label for a specific allergy context.

DairyContains · Oral (ingested)
Source: chemindex_name_match

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

Source records

Named organisations

Laboratory suppliesFood and drugConstruction and building materialsHome maintenanceBatteries

Typical roles

BufferingEmulsifierpH adjusterFlavouring

See products using Potassium bitartrate →

Catalog

Found in these products

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

See all 16 →Find products without it →