Compoatlas

TEA-SORBATE

Official label name (INCI name, EU glossary of cosmetic ingredient names), No 28451

TEA-SORBATE: Cited as an example in a rule, no rule of its own (Annex III, entry 62); cited as an example in a rule, no rule of its own (Annex V, entry 4), under Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009.

In plain words

What it is used for

Functions declared by manufacturers:

Antimicrobial: helps control the growth of micro-organisms on the skin.

Preservative: inhibits primarily the development of micro-organisms in cosmetics.

What the rules say

This name is only cited as an example in an entry of Annex III, which covers a family of substances: the exact conditions depend on the form used.

This name is only cited as an example in an entry of Annex V, which covers a family of substances: the exact conditions depend on the form used.

The text of the annexes

Allowed with restrictions

CosIng cites the name TEA-SORBATE in this entry, whose regulated name is “Trialkylamines, trialkanolamines and their salts”: the title below says which form or use it covers.

Entry
Annex III, No 62
Substance
Trialkylamines, trialkanolamines and their salts
Product type
(a) Leave-on products (b) Rinse-off products
Maximum concentration
(a) 2.5%
Other conditions
(a) (b) - Do not use with nitrosating systems - Minimum purity: 99% - Maximum secondary amine content: 0.5% (applies to raw materials) - Maximum nitrosamine content: 50 microgram/kg - Keep in nitrite-free containers
Dates in the act (10)
  • Entry into force on 11 January 2010
  • Application from 1 December 2010
    It shall apply from 11 July 2013, with the exception of: — Article 15(1) and (2) which shall apply from 1 December 2010, as well as Articles 14, 31 and 32 to the extent that they are necessary to apply Article 15(1) and (2); and — Article 16(3) second subparagraph, which shall apply from 11 January 2013.
  • Entry into force on 1 December 2010
  • Condition applicable from 11 January 2012
    As from 11 January 2012, by way of derogation from Directive 76/768/EEC, notification carried out in accordance with Article 13 of this Regulation shall be considered to comply with Article 7(3) and Article 7a(4) of that Directive
  • Application from 11 January 2013
    July 2013, with the exception of: — Article 15(1) and (2) which shall apply from 1 December 2010, as well as Articles 14, 31 and 32 to the extent that they are necessary to apply Article 15(1) and (2); and — Article 16(3) second subparagraph, which shall apply from 11 January 2013.
  • Entry into force on 11 January 2013
  • Application from 11 July 2013
    It shall apply from 11 July 2013, with the exception of: — Article 15(1) and (2) which shall apply from 1 December 2010, as well as Articles 14, 31 and 32 to the extent that they are necessary to apply Article 15(1) and (2); and — Article 16(3) second subparagraph, which shall appl
  • Entry into force on 11 July 2013
  • Placing on the market before 11 July 2013
    Article 39 Transitional provisions By way of derogation from Directive 76/768/EEC, cosmetic products which comply with this Regulation may be placed on the market before 11 July 2013.
  • Placing on the market from 11 July 2013
    As from 11 July 2013, a distributor who makes available in a Member State a cosmetic product already placed on the market in another Member State and translates, on his own initiative, any element of the labelling of that product in order to comply with national law, shall submit, by electronic means, the following info

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

CosIng cites the name TEA-SORBATE in this entry, whose regulated name is “SORBIC ACID / CALCIUM SORBATE / SODIUM SORBATE / POTASSIUM SORBATE”: the title below says which form or use it covers.

Entry
Annex V, No 4
Substance
Hexa-2,4-dienoic acid and its salts
Glossary names
SORBIC ACID / CALCIUM SORBATE / SODIUM SORBATE / POTASSIUM SORBATE
CAS
110-44-1 / 7492-55-9 / 7757-81-5 / 24634-61-5
EC
203-768-7 / 231-321-6 / 231-819-3 / 246-376-1
Maximum concentration
0.6% (acid)
Dates in the act (10)
  • Entry into force on 11 January 2010
  • Application from 1 December 2010
    It shall apply from 11 July 2013, with the exception of: — Article 15(1) and (2) which shall apply from 1 December 2010, as well as Articles 14, 31 and 32 to the extent that they are necessary to apply Article 15(1) and (2); and — Article 16(3) second subparagraph, which shall apply from 11 January 2013.
  • Entry into force on 1 December 2010
  • Condition applicable from 11 January 2012
    As from 11 January 2012, by way of derogation from Directive 76/768/EEC, notification carried out in accordance with Article 13 of this Regulation shall be considered to comply with Article 7(3) and Article 7a(4) of that Directive
  • Application from 11 January 2013
    July 2013, with the exception of: — Article 15(1) and (2) which shall apply from 1 December 2010, as well as Articles 14, 31 and 32 to the extent that they are necessary to apply Article 15(1) and (2); and — Article 16(3) second subparagraph, which shall apply from 11 January 2013.
  • Entry into force on 11 January 2013
  • Application from 11 July 2013
    It shall apply from 11 July 2013, with the exception of: — Article 15(1) and (2) which shall apply from 1 December 2010, as well as Articles 14, 31 and 32 to the extent that they are necessary to apply Article 15(1) and (2); and — Article 16(3) second subparagraph, which shall appl
  • Entry into force on 11 July 2013
  • Placing on the market before 11 July 2013
    Article 39 Transitional provisions By way of derogation from Directive 76/768/EEC, cosmetic products which comply with this Regulation may be placed on the market before 11 July 2013.
  • Placing on the market from 11 July 2013
    As from 11 July 2013, a distributor who makes available in a Member State a cosmetic product already placed on the market in another Member State and translates, on his own initiative, any element of the labelling of that product in order to comply with national law, shall submit, by electronic means, the following info

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
38533
Declared functions
Antimicrobial, Preservative

CosIng cites no CAS number for this name.

Elsewhere in the world

Information on other jurisdictions. What is covered, and what is not yet.

United Kingdom (Great Britain)

  • Cited as an example in a rule, no rule of its own (Annex III)
  • Cited as an example in a rule, no rule of its own (Annex V)

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.

Brazil

  • Allowed under conditions: Sorbato de Trietanolamina (*) (TEA-SORBATE)

    RDC 528/2021, Anexo (allowed preservatives), entry 6, page 3. Limit: 0,6% (expresso como ácido).

Glossary: Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1175. Page updated on 21 October 2026.