BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene)
Official label name (INCI name, EU glossary of cosmetic ingredient names), No 3371
- Allowed with restrictions (Annex III)
BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene): Allowed with restrictions, with limits depending on the product type (Annex III, entry 325), under Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009.
In plain words
What it is used for
Functions declared by manufacturers:
Antioxidant: inhibits reactions promoted by oxygen, thus avoiding oxidation and rancidity.
Fragrance.
What the rules say
Allowed, with restrictions: Annex III sets a maximum concentration and the product types allowed. Ingredient lists do not give quantities, so the concentration cannot be checked on the label.
The text of the annexes
Allowed with restrictions
This entry covers the same substance as BHT (same CAS number in the CosIng inventory): its conditions apply.
- Entry
- Annex III, No 325
- Substance
- 2,6-Di-Tert-Butyl-4-Methylphenol
- Glossary names
- Butylated Hydroxytoluene
- CAS
- 128-37-0
- EC
- 204-881-4
- Product type
- a) Mouthwash b) Toothpaste c) Other leave-on and rinse-off products
- Maximum concentration
- a) 0,001 % b) 0,1 % c) 0,8 %
- Other conditions
- From 1 July 2023 cosmetic products containing that substance and not complying with the restrictions shall not be placed on the Union market. From 1 January 2024 cosmetic products containing that substance and not complying with the restrictions shall not be made available on the Union market.
Dates in the act (5)
- Entry into force on 1 December 2022
- Placing on the market from 1 July 2023
From 1 July 2023 cosmetic products containing that substance and not complying with the restrictions shall not be placed on the Union market
- Making available from 1 January 2024
From 1 January 2024 cosmetic products containing that substance and not complying with the restrictions shall not be made available on the Union market
- Placing on the market from 1 January 2025
From 1 January 2025 cosmetic products containing that substance and not complying with the conditions shall not be placed on the Union market
- Making available from 1 July 2025
From 1 July 2025 cosmetic products containing that substance and not complying with the conditions shall not be made available on the Union market
Excerpts from the English text published in the Official Journal. A date may concern only some substances of the act: the excerpt says so.
Identity
- CosIng identifier
- 32185
- CAS (according to CosIng)
- 128-37-0
- EC (according to CosIng)
- 204-881-4
- Declared functions
- Antioxidant, Fragrance
- Wikidata
- Q221945
- PubChem
- 31404
- ECHA InfoCard
- 100.004.439
- InChIKey
- NLZUEZXRPGMBCV-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Elsewhere in the world
Information on other jurisdictions. What is covered, and what is not yet.
United Kingdom (Great Britain)
- Allowed with restrictions (Annex III)
Same entries as in the European Union. Conditions (concentrations, warnings) may differ: they are not compared here.
Switzerland
Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 applies in Switzerland (Article 54 of the Ordinance on Foodstuffs and Utility Articles).
United States, federal rules
None of the integrated sections of the federal code (21 CFR 700.11 to 700.27 and 250.250) targets this name. The FDA does not publish a list of allowed ingredients.
Recorded cosmetics that contain it
956 recorded products list it, according to Open Beauty Facts contributors. Records are dated: the formula may have changed. See the list (page in French).
Glossary: Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1175. Page updated on 21 October 2026.