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Calcium Benzoate
AKA “2090-05-3, Calcium dibenzoate, Benzoic acid, calcium salt, 3QDE968MKD, BENZOCALOL, MONOCALCIUM BENZOATE, UNII-3QDE968MKD, CALCIUM BENZOATE [FCC], INS NO.213”
Preservative
Ingredient Facts
Calcium benzoate
AKA: 2090-05-3, Calcium dibenzoate, Benzoic acid, Calcium salt, 3QDE968MKD, BENZOCALOL, MONOCALCIUM BENZOATE, UNII-3QDE968MKD, CALCIUM BENZOATE [FCC], INS NO.213
Preservative · Preservative · EWG: 1
Synthetic
Preservative
Clean
Calcium dibenzoate
Effective at 5.0%
Formula
C14H10CaO4
Mol. Weight
282.30
CAS #
2090-05-3
Form
Powder
State
Dry Powder
See origin →
Functions
Preservative
Keeps your product from growing bacteria, mold, or yeast. Without these, that jar of cream becomes a petri dish in about a week.
Anti-Inflammatory
Boosts Collagen
Antimicrobial
Prevents microbial growth
Traditional Use
A preservative developed in the late 19th century as a safer alternative to benzoic acid. First used industrially in food, then adopted by cosmetics manufacturers in the early 20th century to prevent microbial growth.
Skin Types
●all-skin-types, gentle
Best For
General
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding Safe
Yes
EWG
1
CIR
Safe as used
Pregnancy
Yes
CIR Safety Findings
Not Phototoxic
ewg-1
medical-approval
pregnancy-nursing-safe
all-shades-safe
Concentration Guide
7e-05%
10.0%
0.5%
0%100%
Effective Range
Reg. Limit
CIR reported use: 0.004-0.03 | 0.00007-10 | 0.008-0.5
Regulatory Status
USA✔ permitted
EU✔ permitted
JAPAN✔ permitted
CANADA✔ permitted
Benzyl Alcohol, Benzoic Acid, Sodium Benzoate
Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel
International Journal of Toxicology
→
Final Report on the Safety Assessment of Benzyl Alcohol, Benzoic Acid, and Sodium Benzoate
Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel
International Journal of Toxicology
→
Safety Assessment of Benzyl Alcohol, Benzoic Acid and its Salts, and Benzyl Benzoate
Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel
International Journal of Toxicology
→
4-Hydroxybenzoic acid rescues multisystemic disease and perinatal lethality in a mouse model of mitochondrial disease.
Corral-Sarasa J, Martínez-Gálvez JM, González-García P, Wendling O, Jiménez-Sánchez L et al.
Cell reports, 2024
→
4-Hydroxybenzoic Acid
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Calcium Benzoate
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Benzoic acid and its derivatives as naturally occurring compounds in foods and as additives: Uses, exposure, and controversy.
Del Olmo A, Calzada J, Nuñez M
Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 2017
→
Benzoic acid and its derivatives as naturally occurring compounds in foods and as additives: Uses, exposure, and controversy.
Del Olmo A, Calzada J, Nuñez M
Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 2017
→
Benzoic acid and its derivatives as naturally occurring compounds in foods and as additives: Uses, exposure, and controversy.
Del Olmo A, Calzada J, Nuñez M
Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 2017
→
4-Hydroxybenzoic Acid
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
→
Benzoic Acid
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
→
Calcium Benzoate
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
→
Safety Assessment of Benzyl Alcohol, Benzoic Acid and its...
Wilbur Johnson, Wilma F Bergfeld, Donald V Belsito, Ronald A Hill, Curtis D Klaassen, Daniel C Liebler + 5 more
International journal of toxicology, 2017
→
Safety Assessment of Benzyl Alcohol, Benzoic Acid and its...
Wilbur Johnson, Wilma F Bergfeld, Donald V Belsito, Ronald A Hill, Curtis D Klaassen, Daniel C Liebler + 5 more
International journal of toxicology, 2017
→
Verified Jun 2026
Data: PubChem · CosIng · EWG · CIR