Body & Beauty / Compounds / Butylparaben

Butylparaben on your skin: a safety profile

Moderate risk

(People-specific data is limited; this page draws from human adult context.) Strongest estrogenic activity of common parabens; reproductive toxicity in rodents; detected in breast tumor tissue

What is butylparaben?

The IUPAC name is butyl 4-hydroxybenzoate.

Also known as: butyl 4-hydroxybenzoate, Butyl paraben, Butyl p-hydroxybenzoate, Butoben.

IUPAC name
butyl 4-hydroxybenzoate
CAS number
94-26-8
Molecular formula
C11H14O3
Molecular weight
194.23 g/mol
SMILES
CCCCOC(=O)C1=CC=C(C=C1)O
PubChem CID
7184

Risk for people

Moderate risk

Strongest estrogenic activity of common parabens; reproductive toxicity in rodents; detected in breast tumor tissue

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Butylparaben.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EDC Assessment2024Suspected endocrine disruptor

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 butylparaben

  • Personal Care — lotion, sunscreen, cosmetics, deodorant
  • Food — food preservative (E214 class)
  • Consumer Products — pharmaceuticals

Safer alternatives

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

  • Phenoxyethanol
    Trade-offs: Alternative preservation system; spectrum of antimicrobial activity differs (gram+/gram-, yeasts, molds); pH range of efficacy varies; challenge testing per ISO 11930 required for cosmetics.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • Ethylhexylglycerin
    Trade-offs: Alternative preservation system; spectrum of antimicrobial activity differs (gram+/gram-, yeasts, molds); pH range of efficacy varies; challenge testing per ISO 11930 required for cosmetics.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • Sodium benzoate
    Trade-offs: Alternative preservation system; spectrum of antimicrobial activity differs (gram+/gram-, yeasts, molds); pH range of efficacy varies; challenge testing per ISO 11930 required for cosmetics.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

What products contain butylparaben?

Butylparaben appears in: lotion (Personal care); sunscreen (Personal care); food preservative (E214 class) (Food); pharmaceuticals (Consumer products).

See Butylparaben in the body app

Look up products containing butylparaben, 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 →