Tonalide (AHTN) on your skin: a safety profile
Moderate riskNot medical or professional safety advice, and not a substitute for a qualified clinician — consult one. Full disclaimer →
Cosmetic, personal-care-product, and laundry-detergent dermal contact is the dominant general-exposure route; biomonitoring shows elevated AHTN levels in adipose tissue and breast milk.
What is tonalide (ahtn)?
The IUPAC name is 1-(3,5,5,6,8,8-hexamethyl-6,7-dihydronaphthalen-2-yl)ethanone.
Also known as: 1-(3,5,5,6,8,8-hexamethyl-6,7-dihydronaphthalen-2-yl)ethanone, Tonalide, Tonalid, Tetralide.
- IUPAC name
- 1-(3,5,5,6,8,8-hexamethyl-6,7-dihydronaphthalen-2-yl)ethanone
- CAS number
- 21145-77-7
- Molecular formula
- C18H26O
- Molecular weight
- 258.4 g/mol
- SMILES
- CC1CC(C2=C(C1(C)C)C=C(C(=C2)C(=O)C)C)(C)C
- PubChem CID
- 89440
Risk for people
Moderate riskCosmetic, personal-care-product, and laundry-detergent dermal contact is the dominant general-exposure route; biomonitoring shows elevated AHTN levels in adipose tissue and breast milk.
Regulatory consensus
3 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Tonalide (AHTN). The classifications differ — that's the data.
| Agency | Year | Classification | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| EDC Assessment | 2024 | Suspected endocrine disruptor | |
| IFRA | 2020 | restriction | IFRA restriction — environmental persistence |
| EU_REACH | 2020 | CoRAP | CoRAP evaluation — environmental EDC |
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 tonalide (ahtn)
- Personal Care — perfume, deodorant, lotion, shampoo, soap
- Consumer Products — detergent, air freshener, fabric softener
-
Fragrance
— perfume, cologne, scented personal care products, household fragrance products, candles
Identified in Fragrance Ingredient Safety Priority Research database (2,325 ingredients)
Safer alternatives
Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Tonalide (AHTN):
-
Ethylene brassylate
Trade-offs: Alternative fragrance ingredient; individual safety profile should be assessed per IFRA standards; sensitization potential varies by compound; patch testing recommended for sensitive individuals.Relative cost: 1.2-2×
-
Habanolide
Trade-offs: Alternative fragrance ingredient; individual safety profile should be assessed per IFRA standards; sensitization potential varies by compound; patch testing recommended for sensitive individuals.Relative cost: 1.2-2×
-
Exaltolide
Trade-offs: Alternative fragrance ingredient; individual safety profile should be assessed per IFRA standards; sensitization potential varies by compound; patch testing recommended for sensitive individuals.Relative cost: 1.2-2×
Frequently asked questions
Is tonalide (ahtn) safe for you?
Cosmetic, personal-care-product, and laundry-detergent dermal contact is the dominant general-exposure route; biomonitoring shows elevated AHTN levels in adipose tissue and breast milk.
What products contain tonalide (ahtn)?
Tonalide (AHTN) appears in: perfume (Personal care); deodorant (Personal care); detergent (Consumer products); air freshener (Consumer products); perfume (Fragrance).
Why do regulators disagree about tonalide (ahtn)?
Tonalide (AHTN) has been classified by 3 agencies including EDC Assessment, IFRA, EU_REACH, 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 Tonalide (AHTN) in the body app
Look up products containing tonalide (ahtn), compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.
Open in body View raw API dataSources (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 →