Arachidyl Propionate
What Is It?
Arachidyl Propionate is an amber-colored semisolid wax. In cosmetics and personal care products, Arachidyl Propionate is used in the formulation of lipsticks, moisturizers, and other skin care products.
Why Is It Used?
Arachidyl Propionate acts as a lubricant on the skin’s surface, which gives the skin a soft and smooth appearance. Arachidyl Propionate melts upon contact with the human body, leaving a nonoily feeling to the skin.
Scientific Facts
Arachidyl proprionate (or glucosideA glucose-containing sugar derivative found widely in plants.) is NOT derived from peanuts (Arachis hypogaea). Therefore, use of this ingredient in cosmetic products does not represent an allergy concern for children (or adults) with peanut allergies.In cosmetics and personal care products, Arachidyl Propionate may be used as a substitute for lanolin and lanolin derivatives. Arachidyl Propionate has also been used in nonprescription drug products such as ointments and emulsions.
Safety Information
The safety of Arachidyl Propionate has been assessed by the Cosmetic Ingredient ReviewThe Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) was established in 1976 as an independent safety review program for cosmetic ingredients. The CIR Expert Panel consists of independent experts in dermatology, toxicology, pharmacolgy and veterinary medicine. The CIR includes participation by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and the Consumer Federation of America. (CIR) Expert Panel. The CIR Expert Panel evaluated the scientific data and concluded that Arachidyl Propionate was safe as an ingredient in cosmetic and personal care products.
CIR Safety Review: No systemic toxicity was associated with subchronic oral exposure to Arachidyl Propionate. Arachidyl Propionate was neither a primary dermal irritant, nor a skin sensitizer, and it did not have comedogenic potential. It was nonirritating to the eyes. In clinical studies, Arachidyl Propionate was neither an irritant nor a sensitizer.
In additional clinical studies, Arachidyl Propionate was neither phototoxic nor a photoallergen. The CIR Expert Panel noted that Arachidyl Propionate has some structural and chemical similarities to the stearates, for which a safety assessment has already been published. Although there were limited toxicological data available for Arachidyl Propionate, the data available in the stearates report were considered relevant to the safety evaluation of Arachidyl Propionate. Structure-activity relationships would indicate that Arachidyl Propionate would not absorb in the UVA and UVB ranges and spectral analyses as well as clinical studies support this conclusion.
Based on the data reviewed in the report, the CIR Expert Panel conclude that Arachidyl Propionate was safe as a cosmetic ingredient. Arachidyl Propionate may be used in cosmetics and personal care products marketed in Europe according to the general provisions of the Cosmetics Regulation of the European UnionUnder the general provisions of the cosmetics regulation of the EU, ingredients appearing on the following function-specific annexes must comply with the listed restrictions and/or specifications: colorants (Annex IV), preservatives (Annex V), UV filters (Annex VI) and other ingredients with specific concentration limits and/or other restrictions (Annex III). Ingredients specifically prohibited from use in cosmetic products are listed in Annex II. Other ingredients listed in the EU cosmetic ingredient database (CosIng) may be used without restrictions..
Link to the EU Cosmetic Regulation:
http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/consumers/product_labelling_and_p…
More Scientific Information
Arachidyl Propionate is the propionic acid ester of arachidyl alcohol. It is structurally and chemically similar to butyl stearate. In cosmetics and personal care products, Arachidyl Propionate functions as a skin conditioning agent – emollient. It is used as a “specialty wax” to provide emolliency, lubricity, gloss, and film-forming capabilities to finished products.
Resources
Search the Code of Federal Regulations http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm
EU Cosmetics Inventory http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/cosmetics/cosing/