Body & Beauty / Compounds / alpha-Tocopherol (Vitamin E)

alpha-Tocopherol (Vitamin E) on your skin: a safety profile

Low risk

(People-specific data is limited; this page draws from human adult context.) Vitamin E; high-dose supplements associated with increased mortality (meta-analysis) and prostate cancer (SELECT trial); safe at cosmetic/food levels

What is alpha-tocopherol (vitamin e)?

Also known as: VITAMIN E, 5,7,8-Trimethyltocol, Vitamin-E, Vitamin e d-alpha.

CAS number
59-02-9
Molecular formula
C29H50O2
Molecular weight
430.7 g/mol
SMILES
CC1=C(C2=C(CCC(O2)(C)CCCC(C)CCCC(C)CCCC(C)C)C(=C1O)C)C
PubChem CID
14985

Risk for people

Low risk

Vitamin E; high-dose supplements associated with increased mortality (meta-analysis) and prostate cancer (SELECT trial); safe at cosmetic/food levels

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified alpha-Tocopherol (Vitamin E).

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
Regulatory Framework—Regulated under dietary supplement frameworks (DSHEA in US, EU Novel Food)

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 alpha-tocopherol (vitamin e)

  • Consumer Products — supplements, fortified foods
  • Personal Care — moisturizer, lip balm, baby products

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to alpha-Tocopherol (Vitamin E):

  • Food-based nutrient sources; Whole food diet
    Trade-offs: Alternative approach; specific tradeoffs depend on application context, scale, and regulatory requirements. Full hazard assessment of alternative recommended before adoption to avoid regrettable substitution.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

What products contain alpha-tocopherol (vitamin e)?

alpha-Tocopherol (Vitamin E) appears in: supplements (Consumer products); fortified foods (Consumer products); moisturizer (Personal care); lip balm (Personal care).

See alpha-Tocopherol (Vitamin E) in the body app

Look up products containing alpha-tocopherol (vitamin e), 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 →