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Cosmetic ingredient dictionary

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

Sorbic Acid 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 353 products, most often body care.

By Bravoora teamUpdated Sources checked 3 sourcesHow we check

What does Sorbic Acid do in a product?

In a cosmetic product, Sorbic Acid keeps the product from spoiling. The EU’s CosIng database lists this job for it: preservative.

preservative

What other names and numbers does Sorbic Acid have?

CAS number
110-44-1
EC number
203-768-7
CosIng reference
38173

Is Sorbic Acid restricted in the EU?

It is allowed, on a list with limits. The EU lists it as an allowed preservative, with a maximum amount (Annex V 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 Sorbic Acid?

Open Beauty Facts finds Sorbic Acid in the ingredient lists of 353 of the 22,021 products it has a list for, most often body care, hair care and shampoos.

  • Body care21
  • Hair care18
  • Shampoos15
  • Shower gels11

Products with it, by country of sale: France 105 · Germany 53 · Australia 37 · United States 34.

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

On these listsPreservatives

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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