Body & Beauty / Compounds / Potassium sorbate

Potassium sorbate on your skin: a safety profile

Low risk

(People-specific data is limited; this page draws from human adult context.) Potassium sorbate (CH₃CH=CHCH=CHCOOˉ K⁺; 2,4-hexadienoic acid potassium salt; E202) is the potassium salt of sorbic acid, widely used as a food preservative to inhibit mold, yeast, and some bacteria in a broad range of food products. FDA GRAS status (21 CFR 182.3640): potassium sorbate is Generally Recognized as Safe for food use, typically at concentrations up to 0.2% (2000 ppm). Regulatory status: approved in US (FDA), EU (E202), Codex Alimentarius. Mechanism of action: sorbic acid (released from potassium sorbate in acidic foods) inhibits microbial enzyme systems (dehydrogenases) and disrupts cell membrane transport — effective across a broader pH range than sodium benzoate (effective up to pH 6.5). Applications: cheese, wine, yogurt, dried fruits, baked goods, fresh pasta, fruit juices, vegetable products, cosmetics/personal care products. Metabolism: absorbed sorbate is metabolized via β-oxidation similarly to short-chain fatty acids (it is a conjugated diene fatty acid) → CO₂ + H₂O — essentially indistinguishable from normal lipid metabolism. ADI: WHO/FAO JECFA 0–25 mg/kg bw/day for sorbic acid equivalents (one of the highest ADIs for food additives, reflecting very low toxicity). No carcinogen classification. Genotoxicity: sorbate can react with nitrite under acidic conditions to form ethyl nitrolic acid and other reactive species, but the genotoxic potential from dietary sources remains very low and regulatory agencies maintain GRAS status. Contact allergy: rare reports of contact dermatitis in cosmetic users sensitive to sorbic acid.

What is potassium sorbate?

The IUPAC name is potassium (2E,4E)-hexa-2,4-dienoate.

Also known as: potassium (2E,4E)-hexa-2,4-dienoate, Sorbistat potassium, Sorbic acid potassium salt, BB Powder.

IUPAC name
potassium (2E,4E)-hexa-2,4-dienoate
CAS number
24634-61-5
Molecular formula
C6H7KO2
Molecular weight
150.22 g/mol
SMILES
CC=CC=CC(=O)[O-].[K+]
PubChem CID
23676745

Risk for people

Low risk

Potassium sorbate (CH₃CH=CHCH=CHCOOˉ K⁺; 2,4-hexadienoic acid potassium salt; E202) is the potassium salt of sorbic acid, widely used as a food preservative to inhibit mold, yeast, and some bacteria in a broad range of food products. FDA GRAS status (21 CFR 182.3640): potassium sorbate is Generally Recognized as Safe for food use, typically at concentrations up to 0.2% (2000 ppm). Regulatory status: approved in US (FDA), EU (E202), Codex Alimentarius. Mechanism of action: sorbic acid (released from potassium sorbate in acidic foods) inhibits microbial enzyme systems (dehydrogenases) and disrupts cell membrane transport — effective across a broader pH range than sodium benzoate (effective up to pH 6.5). Applications: cheese, wine, yogurt, dried fruits, baked goods, fresh pasta, fruit juices, vegetable products, cosmetics/personal care products. Metabolism: absorbed sorbate is metabolized via β-oxidation similarly to short-chain fatty acids (it is a conjugated diene fatty acid) → CO₂ + H₂O — essentially indistinguishable from normal lipid metabolism. ADI: WHO/FAO JECFA 0–25 mg/kg bw/day for sorbic acid equivalents (one of the highest ADIs for food additives, reflecting very low toxicity). No carcinogen classification. Genotoxicity: sorbate can react with nitrite under acidic conditions to form ethyl nitrolic acid and other reactive species, but the genotoxic potential from dietary sources remains very low and regulatory agencies maintain GRAS status. Contact allergy: rare reports of contact dermatitis in cosmetic users sensitive to sorbic acid.

Regulatory consensus

2 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Potassium sorbate. The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EPA CTX / Genetox—Genotoxicity: positive (Ames: positive, 24 positive / 3 negative reports)
EPA CTX / Genetox—Genotoxicity: positive (Ames: positive, 24 positive / 3 negative reports)

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 potassium sorbate

  • Industrial Facilities — Manufacturing plants, Chemical storage areas, Waste treatment sites
  • Occupational Environments — Factories, Warehouses, Transportation vehicles
  • Personal Care — shampoo, conditioner, lotion, cosmetics, sunscreen

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Potassium sorbate:

  • Physical/mechanical pest control (IPM)
    Trade-offs: More labor-intensive. May not be sufficient for severe infestations.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • Nisin
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • Natamycin
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • Citric acid
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

What products contain potassium sorbate?

Potassium sorbate appears in: Manufacturing plants (Industrial facilities); Chemical storage areas (Industrial facilities); Factories (Occupational environments); Warehouses (Occupational environments); shampoo (Personal care).

See Potassium sorbate in the body app

Look up products containing potassium sorbate, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in body View raw API data

Sources (2)
  1. FDA GRAS 21 CFR 182.3640: Potassium Sorbate — GRAS; 0.2% maximum use; winemaking preservative; fatty acid metabolism; oral LD50 4.2 g/kg; low toxicity profile (2021) (2021) — regulatory
  2. EFSA ANS Panel: Re-evaluation of Sorbic Acid (E 200) and Potassium Sorbate (E 202) — ADI 25 mg/kg bw/day; dietary exposure; genotoxicity assessment; contact allergy; winemaking; safety conclusion (2015) (2015) — regulatory

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 →