beauty
cleaning
food
industrial

Propionic acid

CAS 79-09-4

Also registered as 3 other CAS numbers

90990-11-7 · 784139-72-6 · 1032826-44-0

Concern score

Not assessed — no hazard data yet.

Propionic acid in plain language

What it is: Also known as Ethylformic acid · Methylacetic acid · Antischim b · Luprosil · Metacetonic acid · Propanoic acid
Show all 31 names
Acide propionique · Adofeed · C3 acid · Carboxyethane · Caswell No. 707 · E-280 · Ethanecarboxylic acid · Ins NO.280 · INS-280 · Methyl acetic acid · Monoprop · Propionate · Propcorn · Propionic acid and its salts · Propionoic acid · Propkorn · Prozoin · Pseudoacetic acid · Sentry grain preserver · Tenox P grain preservative · acido propionico · propionate acid · propionic acid ic=intended changes · propionic acid (cercla) · propionic acid (sara iii)
What it does: Used in consumer products as a preservative, a pH adjuster and a solvent.
Preservative
pH adjuster
Solvent
Fragrance
Flavouring
Antimicrobial
Is it a concern?: We haven't assessed a concern score for this ingredient yet.

Regulation

No restrictions found. Propionic acid appears in these published regulatory listings.

In marketed US drugs
Inactive ingredient in US drugs

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Beauty
Cleaning
Industrial

GLOBALJECFAEvaluatedJECFA evaluation record.
- JECFA evaluation record.Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 104 composition records across product categories including Raw materials, Laboratory supplies, Specialty occupational products. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Preservative, pH regulating agent, Flavouring and nutrient.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 104 composition records across product categories including Raw materials, Laboratory supplies, Specialty occupational products. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Preservative, pH regulating agent, Flavouring and nutrient.Source →
USFDAinactive ingredient databaseRoute: TOPICAL; Dosage form: OINTMENT; Potency: 2.7 %w/w
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: OINTMENT; Potency: 2.7 %w/wSource →
USFDAmarketed drug occurrenceFDA NDC lists this ingredient in 1 active drug products and 1 total products.
- FDA NDC lists this ingredient in 1 active drug products and 1 total products.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.
JECFA
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives
- JECFA evaluation record.
  Year not recorded · GLOBAL JECFA listing · Read the source →
EFSA
European Food Safety Authority
No EFSA opinion on file.

Evidence & sources

No graded research studies for Propionic acid 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

EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated May-99
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 →
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

fao.org

Read →

Openfda substance

codexalimentarius.net

Read →

Suitability

Context-specific fit derived from published classifications and the current ingredient evidence profile.

Food use

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.

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

Source records

104

Named organisations

Raw materialsLaboratory suppliesSpecialty occupational productsHome maintenancePersonal carePesticides

Typical roles

PreservativepH adjusterSolventFragranceFlavouringAntimicrobial

See products using Propionic acid →

Catalog

Found in these products

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

See all 22 →Find products without it →