Et
Ethyl Acetate
Ethyl Acetate
The fast-evaporating solvent in nail polish and removers — shows up occasionally in skincare as a processing solvent.
What it does
A fast-evaporating solvent best known from nail polish and remover, where it dissolves the polish resins and evaporates as the product dries. In skincare it shows up now and then as a solvent used in making ingredients.
The EU’s ingredient database lists it as a solvent (dissolves other ingredients).European Commission, CosIng (© European Union, CC BY 4.0) · uses put in plain words by Drop ↗
The evidence, graded
expert consensusUS safety reviewers (1989) judged ethyl acetate, a solvent in nail polish and removers, safe as used. In people it mildly irritated skin but didn’t cause allergy, or reactions triggered by light. They kept the verdict in a review published in 2008, noting newer uses at 0.01% or less, likely as fragrance. It can help other chemicals pass into skin, so they told makers to keep that in mind.Cosmetic 1989 · Journal of the American College of Toxicology ↗
Graded per the methodology: strong · moderate · emerging · expert consensus. A weak source on a strong claim gets the weaker label.
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