Body & Beauty / Compounds / Allyl isothiocyanate

Allyl isothiocyanate on your skin: a safety profile

Elevated risk

(People-specific data is limited; this page draws from human adult context.) Potent skin/mucous membrane sensitizer and irritant; lachrymator; acutely toxic (oral LD50 ~150 mg/kg rat); vesicant at high concentration; TRPA1 agonist responsible for pungency of mustard/wasabi

What is allyl isothiocyanate?

The IUPAC name is 3-isothiocyanatoprop-1-ene.

Also known as: 3-isothiocyanatoprop-1-ene, AITC, Redskin, Allylsenfoel.

IUPAC name
3-isothiocyanatoprop-1-ene
CAS number
57-06-7
Molecular formula
C4H5NS
Molecular weight
99.16 g/mol
SMILES
C=CCN=C=S
PubChem CID
5971

Risk for people

Elevated risk

Potent skin/mucous membrane sensitizer and irritant; lachrymator; acutely toxic (oral LD50 ~150 mg/kg rat); vesicant at high concentration; TRPA1 agonist responsible for pungency of mustard/wasabi

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Allyl isothiocyanate.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
Regulatory Framework—Regulated under food safety frameworks (FDA GRAS, EU food additive regulations)

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 allyl isothiocyanate

  • Food — mustard, horseradish, wasabi
  • Consumer Products — insect repellent (historical)
  • 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 Allyl isothiocyanate:

  • Natural preservatives; Clean-label ingredients; Minimally processed food
    Trade-offs: Consumer label appeal ('clean label'); variable efficacy depending on food matrix and target pathogen; may alter flavor/color; regulatory status varies by jurisdiction; often more expensive per unit of preservation effect.
    Relative cost: 2-5× conventional

Frequently asked questions

What products contain allyl isothiocyanate?

Allyl isothiocyanate appears in: mustard (Food); horseradish (Food); insect repellent (historical) (Consumer products); perfume (Fragrance); cologne (Fragrance).

See Allyl isothiocyanate in the body app

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

Open in body View raw API data

Sources (1)
  1. PubChem Compound Database (2026) — database

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 →