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Cosmetic ingredient dictionary

Ammonia in cosmetics: what it is and what it does

Ammonia is a cosmetic ingredient that hides an unwanted smell or taste. The EU allows it only with limits or conditions. Open Beauty Facts finds it in 23 products, most often hair color kits.

By Bravoora teamUpdated Sources checked 3 sourcesHow we check

What does Ammonia do in a product?

In a cosmetic product, Ammonia hides an unwanted smell or taste and keeps the product's acidity steady. The EU’s CosIng database lists these jobs for it: masking and buffering.

maskingbuffering

What other names and numbers does Ammonia have?

CAS number
7664-41-7
EC number
231-635-3
CosIng reference
31839

Is Ammonia restricted in the EU?

Yes, it has limits. The EU allows it only with limits or conditions of use, such as a maximum amount or a warning on the label (Annex III of Regulation 1223/2009, entry 4).

The annex entry sets the exact limits, the products it may be used in and any warning the label must carry.

Which products contain Ammonia?

Open Beauty Facts finds Ammonia in the ingredient lists of 23 of the 22,021 products it has a list for, most often hair color kits, permanent hair dyes and hair care.

  • Hair color kits2
  • Permanent hair dyes2
  • Hair care1
  • Hair dyes1

Products with it, by country of sale: Australia 14 · Germany 3 · Turkey 3 · Türkiye 2.

Counted on 13 October 2026 from Open Beauty Facts, which volunteers fill from real packs: it shows where Ammonia turns up, not how much of the market it is.

On these listsRestricted in the EU

Bravoora reads this ingredient for everyone you shop for: an allergy or intolerance, a vegan or vegetarian diet, a calorie or protein goal, and the labels on supplements and skincare too. Build a profile · For dermatologists, dietitians and doctors

Sources

The job, the description and the EU annex entry are CosIng’s; the fragrance allergens are the EU Annex III names Bravoora’s label checker reads; the product counts are Open Beauty Facts’.

  1. European Commission: CosIng cosmetic ingredient database (functions, description, EU annex entry)
  2. Open Beauty Facts: product database, 77,506 products, read 13 October 2026, ODbL
  3. EU Regulation 1223/2009 on cosmetic products (the annexes)

Contains information from Open Beauty Facts, which is made available here under the Open Database License (ODbL). Read the licence · Download this dictionary’s data · How we check

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