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Cosmetic ingredient dictionary

Boric Acid in cosmetics: what it is and what it does

Boric Acid is a cosmetic ingredient that slows the growth of microbes on the skin. The EU allows it only with limits or conditions. Open Beauty Facts finds it in 7 products, most often face care.

By Bravoora teamUpdated Sources checked 3 sourcesHow we check

What does Boric Acid do in a product?

In a cosmetic product, Boric Acid slows the growth of microbes on the skin, keeps the product's acidity steady and makes alcohol undrinkable. The EU’s CosIng database lists these jobs for it: antimicrobial, buffering and denaturant.

antimicrobialbufferingdenaturant

What other names and numbers does Boric Acid have?

CAS number
10043-35-3, 11113-50-1
EC number
233-139-2, 234-343-4
CosIng reference
32208

Is Boric Acid 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 1a).

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

Which products contain Boric Acid?

Open Beauty Facts finds Boric Acid in the ingredient lists of 7 of the 22,021 products it has a list for, most often face care, body care and face lotions.

  • Face care2
  • Body care1
  • Face lotions1

Products with it, by country of sale: United States 3 · France 2 · Spain 1 · Albania 1.

Counted on 13 October 2026 from Open Beauty Facts, which volunteers fill from real packs: it shows where Boric Acid 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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