Body & Beauty / Compounds / Cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC)

Cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) on your skin: a safety profile

Low risk

Not medical or professional safety advice, and not a substitute for a qualified clinician — consult one. Full disclaimer →

Topical antiseptic and personal-care-product use is generally well-tolerated; documented contact-dermatitis sensitisation in a small subset of patients.

What is cetylpyridinium chloride (cpc)?

The IUPAC name is 1-hexadecylpyridin-1-ium chloride.

Also known as: 1-hexadecylpyridin-1-ium chloride, cetylpyridinium chloride, hexadecylpyridinium chloride, Pristacin.

IUPAC name
1-hexadecylpyridin-1-ium chloride
CAS number
123-03-5
Molecular formula
C21H38ClN
Molecular weight
340.0 g/mol
SMILES
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC[N+]1=CC=CC=C1.[Cl-]
PubChem CID
31239

Risk for people

Low risk

Topical antiseptic and personal-care-product use is generally well-tolerated; documented contact-dermatitis sensitisation in a small subset of patients.

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC).

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
Unknown——

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 cetylpyridinium chloride (cpc)

  • Personal Care — mouthwash, toothpaste, breath spray, throat lozenges
  • Consumer Products — oral rinse, dental products

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC):

  • Hydrogen peroxide; UV disinfection; Physical cleaning
    Trade-offs: Removes 95-99% of dissolved contaminants including metals, PFAS, nitrates; wastes 2-4 gallons per gallon produced (improving with newer systems); removes beneficial minerals; $0.05-0.25/gallon; requires pre-treatment for longevity.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

Is cetylpyridinium chloride (cpc) safe for you?

Topical antiseptic and personal-care-product use is generally well-tolerated; documented contact-dermatitis sensitisation in a small subset of patients.

What products contain cetylpyridinium chloride (cpc)?

Cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) appears in: mouthwash (Personal care); toothpaste (Personal care); oral rinse (Consumer products); dental products (Consumer products).

See Cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) in the body app

Look up products containing cetylpyridinium chloride (cpc), 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 medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →