Glyoxylic acid on your skin: a safety profile
Moderate riskCorrosive at concentrated forms; diluted salon formulations cause less severe but still significant irritation.
What is glyoxylic acid?
Glyoxylic acid is a alpha-keto acid, aldehyde acid, hair treatment chemical.
The IUPAC name is oxoacetic acid.
Also known as: oxoacetic acid, oxoethanoic acid, glyoxalic acid, formic acid aldehyde.
- IUPAC name
- oxoacetic acid
- CAS number
- 298-12-4
- Molecular formula
- C2H2O3
- Molecular weight
- 74.04 g/mol
- SMILES
- OC(=O)C=O
- PubChem CID
- 760
Risk for people
Moderate riskCorrosive at concentrated forms; diluted salon formulations cause less severe but still significant irritation.
Concentrated glyoxylic acid (GHS H314) causes severe skin burns. Salon formulations are diluted but prolonged skin contact during application can cause irritation, redness, and chemical burns. Stylists applying treatments without gloves are at particular risk.
Regulatory consensus
4 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Glyoxylic acid. The classifications differ — that's the data.
| Agency | Year | Classification | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU Cosmetics Regulation | — | Not specifically restricted; formaldehyde release products limited under Annex III entry 11a (max 0.2% free formaldehyde) | Products must be labeled 'contains formaldehyde' if formaldehyde concentration exceeds 0.05% |
| ANVISA | 2024 | Banned in hair straightening products | Brazil's ANVISA banned glyoxylic acid in hair straightening products due to formaldehyde release during thermal application |
| FDA | — | Warning letters issued | FDA issued warning letters to manufacturers of hair smoothing products containing glyoxylic acid marketed as 'formaldehyde-free' despite releasing formaldehyde when heated |
| OSHA | — | Formaldehyde PEL applies to salon environments | OSHA PEL for formaldehyde (0.75 ppm TWA) applies to salon workers during thermal hair treatments |
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 glyoxylic acid
-
Hair Care
— hair straightening treatments, keratin smoothing treatments, Brazilian blowout alternatives
Marketed as 'formaldehyde-free' hair straightening active ingredient
-
Cosmetics
— chemical peels, skin exfoliation products
Used at lower concentrations in dermatological treatments
-
Industrial
— vanillin production, pharmaceutical intermediates, textile finishing, agrochemical synthesis
Industrial use as chemical intermediate
Safer alternatives
Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Glyoxylic acid:
- Keratin amino acids (non-formaldehyde-releasing)
- Cysteine-based hair smoothing treatments
Frequently asked questions
Is glyoxylic acid safe for you?
Corrosive at concentrated forms; diluted salon formulations cause less severe but still significant irritation.
What products contain glyoxylic acid?
Glyoxylic acid appears in: hair straightening treatments (hair care); keratin smoothing treatments (hair care); chemical peels (cosmetics); skin exfoliation products (cosmetics); vanillin production (industrial).
What should I do if my you is exposed to glyoxylic acid?
Wear chemical-resistant gloves during application. Wash skin thoroughly if contact occurs. Seek medical attention for burns.
Why do regulators disagree about glyoxylic acid?
Glyoxylic acid has been classified by 4 agencies including EU Cosmetics Regulation, ANVISA, FDA, OSHA, with differing conclusions. 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. See the regulatory consensus table on this page for the full picture.
See Glyoxylic acid in the body app
Look up products containing glyoxylic acid, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.
Open in body View raw API dataReference 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 →