Methylparaben

E number E218INS 218CAS 99-76-3

Used as a preservative.

Methyl para-hydroxybenzoate, or methylparaben, is a preservative used in some baked goods, coatings and drinks. It works across a wider pH range than benzoates, which are only effective in acidic foods.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Methylparaben by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationPermitted21 CFR 184.1490retrieved 2026-09-07
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFAPermitted, with conditions

38 food categories

highest permitted level 1,500 mg/kg

Show every food category
  • 01.6.4 Processed cheese — 300 mg/kg
  • 01.6.5 Cheese analogues — 500 mg/kg
  • 01.7 Dairy-based desserts (e.g. pudding, fruit or flavoured yoghurt) — 120 mg/kg
  • 02.2.2 Fat spreads, dairy fat spreads and blended spreads — 300 mg/kg
  • 02.3 Fat emulsions mainly of type oil-in-water, including mixed and/or flavoured products based on fat emulsions — 300 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.10 Fermented fruit products — 800 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.11 Fruit fillings for pastries — 800 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.2 Dried fruit — 800 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.3 Fruit in vinegar, oil, or brine — 250 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.5 — 250 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.6 Fruit-based spreads (e.g. chutney) excluding products of food category — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.7 Candied fruit — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.8 Fruit preparations, including pulp, purees, fruit toppings and coconut milk — 800 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.9 Fruit-based desserts, incl. fruit-flavoured water-based desserts — 800 mg/kg
  • 04.2.2.3 Vegetables (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), and seaweeds in vinegar, oil, brine, or soybean sauce — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 04.2.2.5 Vegetable (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), seaweed, and nut and seed purees and spreads (e.g. peanut butter) — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 04.2.2.6 Vegetable (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), seaweed, and nut and seed pulps and preparations (e.g. vegetable desserts and sauces, candied vegetables) other than food category 04.2.2.5 — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 04.2.2.7 Fermented vegetable (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera) and seaweed products, excluding fermented soybean products of food categories 06.8.6, 06.8.7, 12.9.1, — 300 mg/kg
  • 05.1.3 Cocoa-based spreads, incl. fillings — 300 mg/kg
  • 05.1.5 Imitation chocolate, chocolate substitute products — 300 mg/kg
  • 05.2 Confectionery including hard and soft candy, nougats, etc. other than food categories 05.1, 05.3, and 05.4 — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 05.3 Chewing gum — 1,500 mg/kg
  • 05.4 Decorations (e.g. for fine bakery wares), toppings (non-fruit), and sweet sauces — 300 mg/kg
  • 07.2 Fine bakery wares (sweet, salty, savoury) and mixes — 300 mg/kg
  • 08.4 Edible casings (e.g. sausage casings) — 36 mg/kg
  • 09.3 Semi-preserved fish and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 11.4 Other sugars and syrups (e.g. xylose, maple syrup, sugar toppings) — 100 mg/kg
  • 12.3 Vinegars — 100 mg/kg
  • 12.4 Mustards — 300 mg/kg
  • 12.6 Sauces and like products — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 14.1.4 Water-based flavoured drinks, including "sport," “energy,” or "electrolyte" drinks and particulated drinks — 500 mg/kg
  • 14.1.5 Coffee, coffee substitutes, tea, herbal infusions, and other hot cereal and grain beverages, excluding cocoa — 450 mg/kg
  • 14.2.2 Cider and perry — 200 mg/kg
  • 14.2.4 Wines (other than grape) — 200 mg/kg
  • 14.2.5 Mead — 200 mg/kg
  • 14.2.7 Aromatized alcoholic beverages (e.g. beer, wine and spirituous cooler-type beverages, low-alcoholic refreshers) — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 15.1 Snacks - potato, cereal, flour or starch based (from roots and tubers, pulses and legumes) — 300 mg/kg
  • 15.2 Processed nuts, including coated nuts and nut mixtures (with e.g. dried fruit) — 300 mg/kg
CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 218and 37 further provisionsretrieved 2026-09-07

What it is made from

Made by esterifying para-hydroxybenzoic acid with methanol, both from petroleum feedstocks. It is far better known as a cosmetics preservative than a food one.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
CAS registry number
99-76-3
InChIKey
LXCFILQKKLGQFO-UHFFFAOYSA-N
PubChem
CID 7456

Every name it appears under

66 recorded names. A label may use any of them.

E number

  • E218

INS number

  • 218

CAS registry number

  • 99-76-3

As it appears in regulation

  • Methylparaben

Other names

  • 4-(Methoxycarbonyl)phenol
  • 4-HYDROXY-BENZOIC ACID METHYL ESTER
  • 4-Hydroxybenzoic acid methyl ester
  • 4-Hydroxybenzoic acid-methyl ester
  • Abiol
  • Aseptoform
  • Benzoic acid, 4-hydroxy-, methyl ester
  • Benzoic acid, p-hydroxy-, methyl ester
  • CAS-99-76-3
  • Caswell No. 573PP
  • E 218
  • FEMA No. 2710
  • FEMA Number 2710
  • INS NO.218
  • INS-218
  • isLeaf Long Lasting Waterproof Eyeliner Black
  • isLeaf Long Lasting Waterproof Eyeliner Brown
  • isLeaf Tattoo Eyebrow Brown
  • Killitol
  • Maseptol
  • Metaben
  • Metagin
  • Methaben
  • methyl 4- hydroxybenzoate
  • Methyl 4-hydroxybenzoate
  • Methyl butex
  • Methyl chemosept
  • Methyl ester of p-hydroxybenzoic acid
  • Methyl p-hydroxybenzoate
  • Methyl p-oxybenzoate
  • Methyl para-hydroxybenzoate
  • Methyl paraben
  • Methyl paraben (e218)
  • Methyl parahydroxybenzoate
  • Methyl parasept
  • methyl-4-hydroxybenzoat
  • methyl-4-hydroxybenzoate
  • Methyl-p-hydroxybenzoate
  • Methyl-p-oxybenzoate
  • Methylben
  • Methylester kyseliny p-hydroxybenzoove
  • Methylis hydroxybenzoas
  • Methylparaben
  • Methylparaben e218
  • Metoxyde
  • Moldex
  • Nipagin
  • Nipagin M
  • p-Carbomethoxyphenol
  • p-Hydroxybenzoic acid methyl ester
  • p-Hydroxybenzoic methyl ester
  • p-Methoxycarbonylphenol
  • p-Oxybenzoesauremethylester
  • Paridol
  • Preserval
  • Preserval M
  • Septos
  • Solbrol
  • Solbrol M
  • Tegosept M
  • WLN: QR DVO1

Systematic names

  • Methyl 4-hydroxybenzoate

Hazard reference values

No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.

Evidence and how bodies read it

Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated by hand rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.

Sources for this page

  • ecfr retrieved 2026-09-07
  • gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07

Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.

Machine-readable:/api/v1/additives/methylparaben.json