What does Isopropyl palmitate do?

Used in cosmetics as an emollient, a binder and a fragrance ingredient.

Is Isopropyl palmitate safe?

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

beauty
cleaning
food
industrial

Isopropyl palmitate

CAS 142-91-6 · 20/100 · High conf.

Concern score

20/100Minor concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Isopropyl palmitate in plain language

What it is: Also known as Hexadecanoic acid, 1-methylethyl ester · Isopropyl hexadecanoate · Hariol ipp · Isopropyl ester palmitic acid · Propan-2-yl hexadecanoate · 1-Methylethyl hexadecanoate
Show all 30 names
Crodamol IPP · Deltyl · Deltyl Prime · Estol 1517 · Emcol IP · Emerest 2316 · Exceparl IPP · Hexadecanoic acid 1-methylethyl ester · Hexadecanoic acid, 1-methyethyl ester · Isopal · Isopalm · Isopropyl n-hexadecanoate · Isopropyl palmitate (C19H38O2 ) · Kessco IPP · Nikkol IPP · Plymouth IPP · Propal · Sinnoester PIT · Starfol IPP · Stepan D-70 · Tegester isopalm · Unimate IPP · Wickenol 111 · isopropyl palminate (isopropyl hexadacanoate)
What it does: Used in cosmetics as an emollient, a binder and a fragrance ingredient.
Emollient
Binding
Perfuming
Fragrance
Thickener
Solvent
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 1796 composition records across product categories including Pesticides, Personal care, Cleaning and safety.

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. Isopropyl palmitate 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
Pharma
Food
Industrial

USFDAinactive ingredient database8 entries — 2 administration routes
- Route: TRANSDERMAL; Dosage form: FILM; Maximum daily exposure: 2 mgSource →
- Route: TRANSDERMAL; Dosage form: FILM, EXTENDED RELEASE; Potency: 187.5 mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: AEROSOL; Maximum daily exposure: 397 mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: AEROSOL, SPRAY; Maximum daily exposure: 397 mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: CREAM; Maximum daily exposure: 112 mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: GEL; Potency: NASource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: OINTMENT; Potency: NASource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: LOTION; Potency: 5 %w/wSource →
EUEFSAEFSA opinion6 entries
- Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in contact with Food (AFC) on a request from the Commission related to Flavouring Group Evaluation 7 (FGE.07): Saturated and unsaturated aliphatic secondary alcohols, ketones and esters of secondary alcohols and saturated linear or branched-chain carboxylic acids from chemical group 5 (Commission Regulation (EC) No 1565/2000 of 18 July 2000) (EFSA AFC)Source →
- Scientific Opinion on Flavouring Group Evaluation 7, Revision 5 (FGE.07Rev5): saturated and unsaturated aliphatic secondary alcohols, ketones and esters of secondary alcohols and saturated linear or branched-chain carboxylic acids from chemical group 5 (EFSA CEF)Source →
- Scientific Opinion on Flavouring Group Evaluation 7, Revision 4 (FGE.07Rev4): Saturated and unsaturated aliphatic secondary alcohols, ketones and esters of secondary alcohols and saturated linear or branched-chain carboxylic acids from chemical group 5 (EFSA CEF)Source →
- Flavouring Group Evaluation 7, Revision 3 (FGE.07Rev3): Saturated and unsaturated aliphatic secondary alcohols, ketones and esters of secondary alcohols and saturated linear or branched-chain carboxylic acids from chemical group 5 (EFSA CEF)Source →
- Flavouring Group Evaluation 7, Revision 2 (FGE.07Rev2): Saturated and unsaturated aliphatic secondary alcohols, ketones and esters of secondary alcohols and saturated linear or branched-chain carboxylic acids from chemical group 5. Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids (CEF) (EFSA CEF)Source →
- Flavouring Group Evaluation 7, Revision 1 (FGE.07Rev1): Saturated and unsaturated aliphatic secondary alcohols, ketones and esters of secondary alcohols and saturated linear or branched-chain carboxylic acids from chemical group 5 (Commission Regulation (EC) No 1565/2000 of 18 July 2000) Scientific opinion of the Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in contact with Food (AFC) on a request from the Commission (EFSA AFC)Source →
EUCosIngActiveListed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.
- Listed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 1796 composition records across product categories including Pesticides, Personal care, Cleaning and safety. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Softener and conditioner, Deodorizer, Fragrance.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 1796 composition records across product categories including Pesticides, Personal care, Cleaning and safety. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Softener and conditioner, Deodorizer, Fragrance.Source →
USFDAmarketed drug occurrenceFDA NDC lists this ingredient in 4 active drug products and 6 total products.
- FDA NDC lists this ingredient in 4 active drug products and 6 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.
EFSA
European Food Safety Authority
- Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in contact with Food (AFC) on a request from the Commission related to Flavouring Group Evaluation 7 (FGE.07): Saturated and unsaturated aliphatic secondary alcohols, ketones and esters of secondary alcohols and saturated linear or branched-chain carboxylic acids from chemical group 5 (Commission Regulation (EC) No 1565/2000 of 18 July 2000) (EFSA AFC)
  2005 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
- Scientific Opinion on Flavouring Group Evaluation 7, Revision 5 (FGE.07Rev5): saturated and unsaturated aliphatic secondary alcohols, ketones and esters of secondary alcohols and saturated linear or branched-chain carboxylic acids from chemical group 5 (EFSA CEF)
  2017 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
- Scientific Opinion on Flavouring Group Evaluation 7, Revision 4 (FGE.07Rev4): Saturated and unsaturated aliphatic secondary alcohols, ketones and esters of secondary alcohols and saturated linear or branched-chain carboxylic acids from chemical group 5 (EFSA CEF)
  2012 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
- Flavouring Group Evaluation 7, Revision 3 (FGE.07Rev3): Saturated and unsaturated aliphatic secondary alcohols, ketones and esters of secondary alcohols and saturated linear or branched-chain carboxylic acids from chemical group 5 (EFSA CEF)
  2010 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
- Flavouring Group Evaluation 7, Revision 2 (FGE.07Rev2): Saturated and unsaturated aliphatic secondary alcohols, ketones and esters of secondary alcohols and saturated linear or branched-chain carboxylic acids from chemical group 5. Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids (CEF) (EFSA CEF)
  2009 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
- Flavouring Group Evaluation 7, Revision 1 (FGE.07Rev1): Saturated and unsaturated aliphatic secondary alcohols, ketones and esters of secondary alcohols and saturated linear or branched-chain carboxylic acids from chemical group 5 (Commission Regulation (EC) No 1565/2000 of 18 July 2000) Scientific opinion of the Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in contact with Food (AFC) on a request from the Commission (EFSA AFC)
  2008 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →

Evidence & sources

No graded research studies for Isopropyl palmitate 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 september 26, 2015
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 2029-08-02
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 Isopropyl palmitate in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.

Source records

1,796

Named organisations

PesticidesPersonal careCleaning and safetyFood and drugConstructionRaw materials

Typical roles

EmollientBindingPerfumingFragranceThickenerSolvent

See products using Isopropyl palmitate →

Catalog

Found in these products

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

See all 818 →Find products without it →

Co-occurrence

Often appears with

Ingredients that frequently appear alongside Isopropyl palmitate in the catalog.