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Cosmetic ingredient dictionary

Benzalkonium Chloride in cosmetics: what it is and what it does

Benzalkonium Chloride is a cosmetic ingredient that keeps the product from spoiling. The EU lists it as an allowed preservative, with a maximum amount. Open Beauty Facts finds it in 54 products, most often face care.

By Bravoora teamUpdated Sources checked 3 sourcesHow we check

What does Benzalkonium Chloride do in a product?

In a cosmetic product, Benzalkonium Chloride keeps the product from spoiling, lets oil and water mix, so the product can wash dirt away, and slows the growth of microbes on the skin. The EU’s CosIng database lists these jobs for it: preservative, surfactant, antimicrobial, antistatic and deodorant.

preservativesurfactantantimicrobialantistaticdeodorant

What other names and numbers does Benzalkonium Chloride have?

CAS number
63449-41-2, 68391-01-5, 68424-85-1, 85409-22-9
EC number
264-151-6, 269-919-4, 270-325-2, 287-089-1
CosIng reference
32129

Is Benzalkonium Chloride restricted in the EU?

Yes, it has limits. The EU lists it as an allowed preservative, with a maximum amount (Annex V of Regulation 1223/2009, entry 54). 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 65).

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

Which products contain Benzalkonium Chloride?

Open Beauty Facts finds Benzalkonium Chloride in the ingredient lists of 54 of the 22,021 products it has a list for, most often face care, moist wipes and facial creams.

  • Face care4
  • Moist wipes3
  • Facial creams2
  • Face makeup2

Products with it, by country of sale: France 11 · United States 6 · Australia 5 · Turkey 2.

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

On these listsPreservativesSurfactants and cleansersRestricted 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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