Body & Beauty / Compounds / Sodium lactate

Sodium lactate on your skin: a safety profile

Low risk

(People-specific data is limited; this page draws from human adult context.) Safety profile for Sodium lactate relevant to people.

What is sodium lactate?

The IUPAC name is sodium 2-hydroxypropanoate.

Also known as: sodium 2-hydroxypropanoate, sodium L-lactate, sodium salt of lactic acid, 2-(3,4-dihydroxybenzoyl)-3-(4-hydroxy-3-iodo-5-methoxyphenyl)prop-2-enenitrile.

IUPAC name
sodium 2-hydroxypropanoate
CAS number
72-17-3
Molecular formula
C3H5O3Na
Molecular weight
112.06 g/mol
SMILES
COC1=C(C(=CC(=C1)C=C(C#N)C(=O)C2=CC(=C(C=C2)O)O)I)O
PubChem CID
3725

Risk for people

Low risk

Regulatory consensus

3 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Sodium lactate. The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EU_CLP—Acute Tox. 4 (Oral)H302: Harmful if swallowed
INCI——Approved cosmetic ingredient; INCI Name: SODIUM LACTATE
FDA——GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status; food additive E325

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 sodium lactate

  • skincare products
  • moisturizers
  • pH buffers
  • food products
  • personal care formulations

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Sodium lactate:

  • Glycerin (plant-derived) — gold standard humectant, excellent safety profile
    Trade-offs: Consumer preference for 'natural' label; many natural fragrance compounds are potent allergens (limonene, linalool, eugenol); 'natural' ≠ 'safe'; often more expensive than synthetic equivalents.
    Relative cost: 2-5× conventional
  • Hyaluronic acid — naturally occurring, very low sensitization potential
    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: 2-5× conventional
  • Panthenol (provitamin B5) — well-tolerated, additional skin-soothing properties
    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

What products contain sodium lactate?

Sodium lactate appears in: skincare products; moisturizers; pH buffers.

Why do regulators disagree about sodium lactate?

Sodium lactate has been classified by 3 agencies including EU_CLP, INCI, FDA, 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 Sodium lactate in the body app

Look up products containing sodium lactate, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in body View raw API data

Sources (2)
  1. PubChem Compound CID 3725 — database
  2. ATSDR Toxicological Profile — CAS 72-17-3 — reference

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 →