SODIUM HYDROXYMETHYLGLYCINATE
Official label name (INCI name, EU glossary of cosmetic ingredient names), No 26677
- Prohibited above a formaldehyde threshold (Annex II)
- Preservative allowed under conditions (Annex V)
SODIUM HYDROXYMETHYLGLYCINATE: Prohibited above a formaldehyde threshold (Annex II, entry 1669); preservative allowed under conditions, maximum 0.5% in the ready-for-use preparation (Annex V, entry 51), under Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009.
In plain words
What it is used for
Functions declared by manufacturers:
Hair conditioning: leaves the hair easy to comb, supple, soft and shiny and/or imparts volume, lightness, gloss, etc.
Preservative: inhibits primarily the development of micro-organisms in cosmetics.
What the rules say
Prohibited only if the maximum theoretical concentration of releasable formaldehyde, irrespective of the source, is at least 0.1% in the mixture as placed on the market.
An ingredient can be used as a preservative only if it appears on the list of Annex V. <function plain_language.<locals>.name at 0x7f7804e04ea0> is on it with a maximum concentration.
Hazard and risk
The CLP Regulation classifies this substance as carcinogenic, category 1B (presumed effect, established mainly from animal studies) and mutagenic (may damage DNA), category 2 (suspected effect, without enough evidence for a higher category).
This classification describes what the substance can cause (a hazard), not what happens when using a product (a risk): the risk depends on the dose, the form and the route of exposure (skin, inhalation, ingestion).
Already covered by an Annex II entry of the Cosmetics Regulation, which prohibits it only in certain cases, detailed above on this page.
The text of the annexes
Prohibited above a formaldehyde threshold
CosIng links the name SODIUM HYDROXYMETHYLGLYCINATE to this entry. The cases of prohibition are explained above, in “In plain words”; the official title is given below.
- Entry
- Annex II, No 1669
- Substance
- Sodium N-(hydroxymethyl)glycinate; [formaldehyde released from sodium N-(hydroxymethyl)glycinate] if the maximum theoretical concentration of releasable formaldehyde, irrespective of the source, in the mixture as placed on the market is ≥ 0,1 % w/w
- CAS
- 70161-44-3
- EC
- 274-357-8
Dates in the act (3)
- Entry into force on 23 November 2021
- Application from 1 March 2022
It shall apply from 1 March 2022.
- Entry into force on 1 March 2022
Excerpts from the English text published in the Official Journal. A date may concern only some substances of the act: the excerpt says so.
Preservative allowed under conditions
- Entry
- Annex V, No 51
- Substance
- Sodium hydroxymethylamino acetate
- Glossary names
- SODIUM HYDROXYMETHYLGLYCINATE
- CAS
- 70161-44-3
- EC
- 274-357-8
- Maximum concentration
- 0.5%
- Other conditions
- Not to be used if the maximum theoretical concentration of releasable formaldehyde, irrespective of the source, if the mixture as placed on the market is ≥ 0,1 % w/w
Dates in the act (3)
- Entry into force on 23 November 2021
- Application from 1 March 2022
It shall apply from 1 March 2022.
- Entry into force on 1 March 2022
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
- 37892
- CAS (according to CosIng)
- 70161-44-3
- EC (according to CosIng)
- 274-357-8
- Declared functions
- Hair conditioning, Preservative
- Wikidata
- Q27276411
- PubChem
- 23664641
- ECHA InfoCard
- 100.067.576
- InChIKey
- CITBNDNUEPMTFC-UHFFFAOYSA-M
Classified hazard (CLP Regulation)
A classification describes an intrinsic hazard, not a risk: the risk depends on the dose, the form and the exposure.
sodium N-(hydroxymethyl)glycinate; [formaldehyde released from sodium N-(hydroxymethyl)glycinate]
CMR Carc. 1B ; Muta. 2
- Hazard classes
- Carc. 1B
Muta. 2
Acute Tox. 4
Acute Tox. 4
STOT SE 3
Skin Irrit. 2
Eye Irrit. 2
Skin Sens. 1 - Hazard statements
- H350 H341 H332 H302 H335 H315 H319 H317
- CLP notes
- 8 9
Already covered by an Annex II entry of the Cosmetics Regulation, which prohibits it only in certain cases, detailed above on this page.
Elsewhere in the world
Information on other jurisdictions. What is covered, and what is not yet.
United Kingdom (Great Britain)
- Preservative allowed under conditions (Annex V)
Entry 1669 of Annex II of EU law (Regulation (EU) 2021/1902) has no equivalent in British law.
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.
Washington State (United States)
- Prohibited: Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate
libérateur n° 7, from 1 January 2027. Prohibited when intentionally added; a retailer in the state may sell existing stock until January 1, 2028.
South Korea
- Restricted: 소듐하이드록시메칠아미노아세테이트 (소듐하이드록시메칠글리시네이트) (SODIUM HYDROXYMETHYLGLYCINATE)
별표 2, 보존제 성분 (preservatives), entry 27, page 6. Limit: 0.5%.
Brazil
- Allowed under conditions: Hidroximetilaminoacetato de sódio (SODIUM HYDROXYMETHYLGLYCINATE)
RDC 528/2021, Anexo (allowed preservatives), entry 51, page 4;5. Limit: 0,5%.
Recorded cosmetics that contain it
14 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.