Calcium Benzoate
AKA “Calcium dibenzoate, Benzoic acid, calcium salt, BENZOCALOL, MONOCALCIUM BENZOATE, UNII-3QDE968MKD, CALCIUM BENZOATE [FCC], INS NO.213”
Synthetic
Ingredient Facts
Calcium benzoate
AKA: Calcium dibenzoate, Benzoic acid, Calcium salt, BENZOCALOL, MONOCALCIUM BENZOATE, UNII-3QDE968MKD, CALCIUM BENZOATE [FCC], INS NO.213
Synthetic · Antimicrobial · EWG: 1
Synthetic
Preservative
Synthetic
Clean
Calcium Benzoate is a gentle preservative that keeps our products fresh and safe to use, preventing bacteria and mold growth without harsh chemicals.
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.
Antimicrobial
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
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
Melanin-Rich Skin
Suitable
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding Safe
Yes
EWG
1
CIR
Safe
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 Agencies
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 Feb 2026
Data: PubChem · CosIng · EWG · CIR