Opinion on Ethylzingerone : 'Hydroxyethoxyphenyl Butanone' (HEPB) : (Cosmetics Europe No P98)

Ethylzingerone with INCI name 'Hydroxyethoxyphenyl Butanone' (HEPB) Cosmetics Europe No P98 - CAS No 569646-79-3 is a cosmetic ingredient not regulated under Cosmetic Regulation No 1223/2009 with the function as skin conditioning agent. In September 2015, the Commission' services received a dossier from industry to support the safe use of Hydroxyethoxyphenyl Butanone (HEPB) when used as preservative in rinse-off, oral care and leave-on cosmetic products. According to the above-mentioned dossier the safety profile of HEPB has been studied in preclinical studies conducted according to Good Laboratory Practices and following OECD guidelines whenever available. They were conducted using HEPB from batches which were well characterized analytically with a minimum purity of 95.9%.