Benzoxiquine

What Is It?

In cosmetics and personal care products, Benzoxiquine has been reported to be used in the formulation of hair tonics, dressings, and other hair grooming aids

Why Is It Used?

Benzoxiquine has been reported to function as a cosmetic biocide.

Scientific Facts

Benzoxiquine may be bactericidal or bacteriostatic. Cidal agents kill microbiota and act as disinfectants. Static agents inhibit the growth of microorganisms but do not kill them.

Safety Information

The safety of Benzoxiquine has been assessed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel. The CIR Expert Panel evaluated the scientific data and concluded that additional information was needed to support the safety of Benzoxiquine.

CIR Safety Review: The CIR Expert Panel noted that Benzoxiquine has only limited use in cosmetics and personal care products. The only data available on the safety of Benzoxiquine was a positive mutagenicity test in bacteria. Because of the lack of data, the CIR Expert Panel was unable to complete an assessment of the safety of Benzoxiquine for cosmetics and personal care products.

The data requested by the CIR Expert Panel included concentration of use, dermal irritation and sensitization and additional genotoxicity tests. Benzoxiquine is not listed in Annex VI (list of preservatives which cosmetic products may contain) of the Cosmetics Directive of the European Union. Therefore, this ingredient may not be used as a preservative in cosmetics and personal care products in Europe.

Link to the EU Cosmetic Regulation:
http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/consumers/product_labelling_and_p…

More Scientific Information

Benzoxiquine is the ester of oxyquinoline and benzoic acid. In cosmetics and personal care products, Benzoxiquine functions as a cosmetic biocide.