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Is sorbic acid banned or restricted in cosmetics?

Restricted, not banned: the EU permits sorbic acid within limits (Annex V, entry 4), the lowest cap printed being 0.6% and the highest 0.6%, depending on the product. California, the EU and FDA's named list, read 23 October 2026, with EWG Skin Deep's score.

SlipperSkin finding

Read on 23 October 2026, sorbic acid is restricted by the EU (Annex V) and not listed in California; EWG Skin Deep scores it 2 out of 10.

From the California statute, the EU Cosmetics Regulation as consolidated on 1 May 2026, FDA’s page and EWG’s ingredient page, read 23 October 2026. We report what each says; we do not rate the ingredient.

Is sorbic acid banned in cosmetics?

Restricted, not banned: the EU permits sorbic acid within limits (Annex V, entry 4), the lowest cap printed being 0.6% and the highest 0.6%, depending on the product. California does not list it. FDA's named list does not include it. EWG Skin Deep scores it 2 out of 10 (data: fair).

Sorbic acid: where it standsread 23 October 2026
Sorbic acid: California not on list (a) or list (b); EU Annex V, entry 4; FDA not among its 11 headed entries; EWG 2 of 10, data Fair, use restrictions none listed. Read 23 October 2026.California statutenot on list (a) or list (b)EU Regulation 1223/2009Annex V, entry 4FDA named list (2022 page)not among its 11 headed entriesEWG Skin Deep123456789102 of 10, data fair, use restrictions none listed
Filled red marks a ban, blue a restriction, pale an ingredient that list does not name. FDA's page names 11 entries and none is sorbic acid. The EWG row marks its score; a bar shows a range.

What are the EU limits for sorbic acid?

The EU does not ban sorbic acid; it caps it by product type. The caps below are the annex cells as printed on the EUR-Lex consolidated text of 1 May 2026, with the decimal comma written as a point.

Sorbic acid: EU capspercent; consolidated 1 May 2026
EU concentration caps for Sorbic acid from the Cosmetics Regulation consolidated 1 May 2026: cap 1, Annex V, 0.6%. The table gives where each applies.Annex V #40.6%Scaled to the highest cap on this page.
Each bar is one figure printed in an annex entry (#321 means entry 321); where an entry prints several, the table below shows which product type each applies to.
Sorbic acid in the EU Cosmetics Regulation, found by CAS number 110-44-1
WhereAnnexCap, threshold and product typeCondition
Annex V, entry 4
as printed: Hexa-2,4-dienoic acid and its salts		Permitted preservatives0.6 % (acid)
all products		No condition printed in the entry.

Is sorbic acid on California's banned list?

No. It is on neither list (a), in force since 1 January 2025, nor list (b), in force from 1 January 2027, of California's Health and Safety Code section 108980.

What does EWG Skin Deep say about sorbic acid?

EWG’s page gives sorbic acid a hazard score of 2 out of 10 with fair data. Its concerns line reads, in part: . The use-restrictions concern is none listed, although the EU restricts it. The score is a hazard score on EWG's own scale; it is not a regulatory status.

Where is this read from?

More ingredient files: Butylparaben · Methylparaben · Ethylparaben · all 66 ingredient files

Method: California's section 108980 and the EU's annexes were read in Chrome on 23 October 2026; EU lookups are by CAS number (110-44-1) across Annexes II, III, V and VI; EWG's page was kept only if its name matched exactly; the PubChem link is the compound the CAS number resolves to. Statutes change and EWG revises pages, nothing here is a safety verdict, and an ingredient that is not on a list is not endorsed.

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