beauty
cleaning
food
industrial

Ethylene glycol

CAS 37221-95-7 · 20/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 4 other CAS numbers

71767-64-1 · 1371582-33-0 · 2088100-90-5 · 107-21-1

Concern score

20/100Minor concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Ethylene glycol in plain language

What it is: On cosmetic ingredient lists it appears as “Glycol”.
Also known as Glycol · Ethane-1,2-diol · 1,2-Dihydroxyethane · 1,2-Ethandediol · 1,2-Ethandiol · 1,2-Ethane Diol
Show all 37 names
1,2-Ethanediol · 1,2-Ethylene glycol · 2-Hydroxyethanol · Aethylenglykol · Dihydroxy ethane, 1,2-(FIBER grade) · Dowtherm SR 1 · Ethane-1,2-diol, Ethylene glycol · Ethanediol; Ethylene Glycol · Ethylene alcohol · Ethylene dihydrate · Fridex · Glycol alcohol · Lowenol copolymer 1985-A · Lowenol copolymer 1985-B · Lowenol T-163A · Lutrol-9 · Macrogol 400 BPC · Nanosilver+eg · Norkool · Tescol · Ucar 17 · Zerex · ethanediol · ethylene glycol (sara iii). %(wt): 95-99.99 · ethylene glycol (sara iii). vp: 3.2. · ethylene glycol (sara iii). vp:0.1 @ 25c. lel:3.2%. · ethylene glycol (sara iii). vp:0.1 @ 77f. · ethylene glycol (sara 313) (cercla) · ethylene glycol (sara 313) (cercla) vp: 0.1 @ 68f · ethylene glycol (sara iii) · monoethylene glycol
What it does: Used in cosmetics as a humectant, a solvent and a thickener.
Humectant
Solvent
Viscosity controlling
Colourant
Thickener
Fragrance
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 7357 composition records across product categories including Construction and building materials, Raw materials, Furniture and furnishings.

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. Ethylene glycol appears in these published regulatory listings.

Inactive ingredient in US drugs

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Cleaning
Industrial

EUCosIngActiveListed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.
- Listed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.Source →
EUEFSAEFSA opinionScientific Opinion on the safety evaluation of the substance, 1,4:3,6-dianhydrosorbitol, CAS No 652-67-5, for use in food contact materials (EFSA CEF)
- Scientific Opinion on the safety evaluation of the substance, 1,4:3,6-dianhydrosorbitol, CAS No 652-67-5, for use in food contact materials (EFSA CEF)Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 7357 composition records across product categories including Construction and building materials, Raw materials, Furniture and furnishings. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Solvent, Humectant, Viscosity modifier.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 7357 composition records across product categories including Construction and building materials, Raw materials, Furniture and furnishings. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Solvent, Humectant, Viscosity modifier.Source →
USFDAinactive ingredient databaseRoute: TOPICAL; Dosage form: SHAMPOO, SUSPENSION; Potency: 1 %w/v
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: SHAMPOO, SUSPENSION; Potency: 1 %w/vSource →
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
- Scientific Opinion on the safety evaluation of the substance, 1,4:3,6-dianhydrosorbitol, CAS No 652-67-5, for use in food contact materials (EFSA CEF)
  2013 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →

Evidence & sources

No graded research studies for Ethylene glycol 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 30, 2011
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 →
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.

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

Source records

7,357

Named organisations

Construction and building materialsRaw materialsFurniture and furnishingsCleaning products and household careHome maintenanceCons. electronics, mech. appliances, and machinery

Typical roles

HumectantSolventViscosity controllingColourantThickenerFragrance

See products using Ethylene glycol →

Catalog

Found in these products

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

See all 62 →Find products without it →