Body & Beauty / Compounds / Acetoin

Acetoin on your skin: a safety profile

High risk

GHS Danger classification. Causes skin irritation.

What is acetoin?

The IUPAC name is 3-hydroxybutan-2-one.

Also known as: 3-hydroxybutan-2-one, 3-hydroxy-2-butanone, Dimethylketol, Acetyl methyl carbinol.

IUPAC name
3-hydroxybutan-2-one
CAS number
513-86-0
Molecular formula
C4H8O2
Molecular weight
88.11 g/mol
SMILES
CC(O)C(C)=O
PubChem CID
179

Risk for people

High risk

GHS Danger classification. Causes skin irritation.

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Acetoin.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EPA CTX / Genetox—Genotoxicity: positive (Ames: positive, 2 positive / 5 negative reports)

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where you encounter acetoin

  • Consumer Products — E-cigarette liquids, Butter flavoring, Food flavoring
  • Fragrance — perfume, cologne, scented personal care products, household fragrance products, candles
    Identified in Fragrance Ingredient Safety Priority Research database (2,325 ingredients)

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Acetoin:

  • Fragrance-free formulations
    Trade-offs: Consumer preference for scented products
    Relative cost: Lower (ingredient elimination)
  • Essential oil-based fragrances (with disclosure)
    Trade-offs: Natural does not mean safe — many essential oils are skin sensitizers
    Relative cost: 2-5× conventional

Frequently asked questions

Is acetoin safe for you?

GHS Danger classification. Causes skin irritation.

What products contain acetoin?

Acetoin appears in: E-cigarette liquids (Consumer products); Butter flavoring (Consumer products); perfume (Fragrance); cologne (Fragrance).

See Acetoin in the body app

Look up products containing acetoin, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in body View raw API data

Sources (3)
  1. PubChem Compound CID 179 — database
  2. EPA CompTox Chemicals Dashboard — DTXSID0024399 — epa
  3. ATSDR Toxicological Profile — CAS 513-86-0 — reference

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →