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Io

Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate

Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate

A preservative that keeps microbes out of a product at well under a tenth of a percent.

What it does

Its molecule carries an iodine atom. It’s often used alongside other preservatives in a formula.

The EU’s ingredient database lists it as a preservative (holds back germs in the product).European Commission, CosIng (© European Union, CC BY 4.0) · uses put in plain words by Drop ↗

The evidence, graded

expert consensusUS safety reviewers (1998) found iodopropynyl butylcarbamate (IPBC) mildly irritating in clinical tests. They judged it safe at up to 0.1%, but not in products meant to be sprayed, given its effects when breathed in by animals. Most products needed less than 0.0125%. In 2013 they decided not to reopen that review, and found the irritation and allergy data gave no reason to think it unsafe at up to 0.05%, the highest amount reported in use.Cosmetic 1998 · International Journal of Toxicology ↗

Graded per the methodology: strong · moderate · emerging · expert consensus. A weak source on a strong claim gets the weaker label.

Also known as

IPBC

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