Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate (IPBC) is a water-soluble preservative.
Contents
Uses
- Used globally in the paints & coatings, wood preservatives, personal care, and cosmetics industries
Benefits
- Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate prevents or retards bacterial growth, thereby protecting cosmetics and personal-care products from spoilage.
Cautions
- IPBC is a suspected gastrointestinal and liver toxin, and is thought to present risks to human reproduction and development, having been linked to the potential for reduced fertility and increased risk of pregnancy problems. It’s a suspected teratogen, which means that it may increase the risk of birth defects.
- The Environmental Protection Agency notes that there is limited evidence of gastrointestinal and liver toxicity with IPBC, and Japan’s Standards for Cosmetics restrict its use in cosmetics. Even the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) has expressed concerns about toxicity with IPBC, and limits the use in cosmetics to concentrations less than or equal to 0.1%. They noted that at concentrations of 0.5% and above, it has the potential to irritate skin, and because of the dangers of inhaling the chemical, they recommend it not be used in products meant to be aerosolized.
- The European Union goes even further to limit the use of the preservative in cosmetics at a maximum concentration of 0.02% in rinse-off products, and 0.01% in leave-on products, except in deodorant/antiperspirant products, where the limit is even lower—0.0075%.
Interactions
n/a
Other names
3-Iodoprop-2-yn-1-yl butylcarbamate
References
Source: Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodopropynyl_butylcarbamate
AnnMarieGianni, https://www.annmariegianni.com/ingredient-watch-list-iodopropynyl-butylcarbamate-the-toxic-preservative/
Cosmeticsinfo, http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/ingredient/iodopropynyl-butylcarbamate-0