Propylparaben

CAS 94-13-3

Listed as a preservative by Canada and the US.

Listed as preservatives (CA, US) · flavouring agents and adjuvants (US)
Chemical structure of Propylparaben, from PubChem compound 7175
Structure from PubChem CID 7175 (National Library of Medicine, public domain). A depiction of one compound: where a listing covers a family, or a substance has no single structure, this page shows none.

Propylparaben is a preservative, one of the parabens, used to inhibit moulds and yeasts. The European Union removed propylparaben and its sodium salt from its list of permitted food additives in 2006.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Propylparaben by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
Australia and New ZealandFood Standards Australia New ZealandPermitted, with conditions

1 food category

highest permitted level 2,500 mg/kg

Food Standards Code, Schedule 15, S15—5, item 0, INS 216retrieved 2026-10-17
CanadaHealth CanadaPermitted, with conditions

no numerical limit (good manufacturing practice)

5 permitted uses

Show every permitted use
  • In: Antifoaming preparations. Purpose: Preservative. Limit: If used singly, the amount not to exceed 5,000 ppm, calculated as ρ-hydroxybenzoic acid. If used in any combination with methyl-ρ-hydroxybenzoate, sodium salt of methyl-ρ-hydroxybenzoic acid or sodium salt of propyl-ρ-hydroxybenzoic acid, the total combined amount not to exceed 5,000 ppm, calculated as ρ-hydroxybenzoic acid. Amendment notices: NOM/ADM-0171. — Health Canada, List of Permitted Preservatives (List 11), item P.12(a)
  • In: Aqueous colour formulations for use in marinades. Purpose: Preservative. Limit: Good Manufacturing Practice. If used singly, the amount not to exceed 40 ppm in the marinade. If used in combination with sodium salt of propyl-ρ-hydroxybenzoate, the total combined amount not to exceed 40 ppm in the marinade, calculated as propyl-ρ-hydroxybenzoate. Amendment notices: NOM/ADM-0171. — Health Canada, List of Permitted Preservatives (List 11), item P.12(b)
  • In: Aqueous colour formulations for use in unstandardized carbonated flavoured beverages. Purpose: Preservative. Limit: Good Manufacturing Practice. If used singly, the amount not to exceed 10 ppm in the beverage containing the aqueous formulation. If used in combination with sodium salt of propyl-ρ-hydroxybenzoate, the total combined amount not to exceed 10 ppm in the beverage containing the aqueous formulation, calculated as propyl-ρ-hydroxybenzoate. Amendment notices: NOM/ADM-0171. — Health Canada, List of Permitted Preservatives (List 11), item P.12(c)
  • In: Aqueous colour formulations for use in unstandardized confectionery. Purpose: Preservative. Limit: Good Manufacturing Practice. If used singly, the amount not to exceed 20 ppm in the confectionery containing the aqueous formulation. If used in combination with sodium salt of propyl-ρ-hydroxybenzoate, the total combined amount not to exceed 20 ppm in the confectionery containing the aqueous formulation, calculated as propyl-ρ-hydroxybenzoate. Amendment notices: NOM/ADM-0171. — Health Canada, List of Permitted Preservatives (List 11), item P.12(d)
  • In: Enzyme preparations. Purpose: Preservative. Limit: If used singly, the amount not to exceed 5,000 ppm, calculated as ρ-hydroxybenzoic acid. If used in any combination with methyl-ρ-hydroxybenzoate, sodium salt of methyl-ρ-hydroxybenzoic acid or sodium salt of propyl-ρ-hydroxybenzoic acid, the total combined amount not to exceed 5,000 ppm, calculated as ρ-hydroxybenzoic acid. Amendment notices: NOM/ADM-0171. — Health Canada, List of Permitted Preservatives (List 11), item P.12(e)
Health Canada, List of Permitted Preservatives (List 11)and 4 further provisionsretrieved 2026-10-17
European UnionEuropean Commission / EFSANo listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it.
Great BritainFood Standards Agency / Food Standards ScotlandNo listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it.
JapanConsumer Affairs AgencyPermitted, with conditions
Designated additive: Appended Table 1, item 311, パラオキシ安息香酸プロピル（別名パラヒドロキシ安息香酸プロピル） (“Propyl p-Hydroxybenzoate” in the unofficial English translation). …

Designated additive: Appended Table 1, item 311, パラオキシ安息香酸プロピル（別名パラヒドロキシ安息香酸プロピル） (“Propyl p-Hydroxybenzoate” in the unofficial English translation). Standards for use — Specifications and Standards for Foods, Food Additives, etc. (MHW Notification No. 370 of 1959), Part II (Food Additives), F (Standards for use), entry パラオキシ安息香酸プロピル: (1) [may be used only in the foods stated] “パラオキシ安息香酸プロピルは、しょう油、酢、清涼飲料水、シロップ、果実ソース、果実(表皮の部分に限る。)及び果菜(表皮の部分に限る。)以外の食品に使用してはならない。” (2) [sets maximum levels of use for the foods stated] “パラオキシ安息香酸プロピルの使用量は、パラオキシ安息香酸として、しょう油にあってはその1Lにつき0.25g以下、酢にあってはその1Lにつき0.10g以下、清涼飲料水及びシロップにあってはその1kgにつき0.10g以下、果実ソースにあってはその1kgにつき0.20g以下、果実及び果菜にあってはその1kgにつき0.012g以下でなければならない。” The Japanese is the standard as published. There is no official English translation of the Notification; the English in square brackets is this site’s description of what each sentence does, not a translation of the foods or the levels. Compositional specifications for this additive, in the same Notification, are not imported and are not shown here; nor are the general rules in F 添加物一般, which apply to every additive.

Regulations for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act (MHW Ordinance No. 23 of 1948), Appended Table 1retrieved 2026-10-18
South KoreaMinistry of Food and Drug SafetyNo listing matchedThis site imports Part III of South Korea’s Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, matched by CAS number, then INS number, then exact name. Mixed preparations and sanitisers are not imported, and an entry whose identifiers disagreed with a page’s is held for review, so an empty row does not show that South Korea does not permit the substance.
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationPermitted21 CFR 184.1670retrieved 2026-10-17
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFANot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.

How much is permitted

A listing usually limits the quantity as well as the food. Only one of the forms that takes is a figure: quantum satis and good manufacturing practice permit the amount the technological effect requires and no more, which is a limit rather than the absence of one. Figures below are the range across every food category this page is listed in, and categories differ between regulators — see how much is permitted.

Australia and New Zealand2,500 mg/kg1 numeric limit
Canada—3 GMP, 2 no quantity stated
Japan—1 no quantity stated
United States—1 no quantity stated

What it is made from

Made by reacting para-hydroxybenzoic acid with propanol. Parabens also occur naturally in some plants.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian

Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.

CAS registry number
94-13-3
InChIKey
QELSKZZBTMNZEB-UHFFFAOYSA-N
PubChem
CID 7175

Every name it appears under

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

CAS registry number

  • 94-13-3

As it appears in regulation

  • Propylparaben

Other names

  • 4-Hydroxybenzoic acid propyl ester
  • 4-Hydroxybenzoic acid propylester
  • 4-Hydroxybenzoic acid-propyl ester
  • Aseptoform P
  • Benzoic acid, 4-hydroxy-, propyl ester
  • Benzoic acid, p-hydroxy-, propyl ester
  • Betacide P
  • Betacine P
  • Bonomold OP
  • CAS-94-13-3
  • Chemacide pk
  • Chemocide pk
  • Chemoside PK
  • EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 061203
  • FEMA No. 2951
  • Lexgard P
  • n-Propyl 4-hydroxybenzoate
  • N-Propyl p-hydroxybenzoate
  • n-propyl paraben
  • n-PROPYL-p-HYDROXYBENZOATE
  • N-Propylparaben
  • Nipagin P
  • Nipasol
  • Nipasol M
  • Nipasol P
  • Nipazol
  • p-Hydroxybenzoic acid n-propyl ester
  • p-Hydroxybenzoic acid propyl ester
  • p-Hydroxybenzoic propyl ester
  • p-Hydroxypropyl benzoate
  • p-Oxybenzoesaurepropylester
  • Paraben p
  • Parasept
  • Paratexin p
  • Paseptol
  • PEPH
  • Preserval P
  • Propagin
  • Propyl 4-hydroxybenzoate
  • Propyl aseptoform
  • Propyl Butex
  • Propyl Chemosept
  • Propyl chemsept
  • Propyl p-hydroxybenzoate
  • propyl para-hydroxybenzoate
  • Propyl paraben
  • Propyl parahydroxybenzoate
  • Propyl Parasept
  • Propyl-4-hydroxybenzoate
  • Propylester kyseliny p-hydroxybenzoove
  • Propylis hydroxybenzoas
  • PROPYLPARABEN
  • Propylparaben e216
  • Propylparasept
  • Protaben P
  • Pulvis conservans
  • Solbrol P
  • Tegosept P
  • WLN: QR DVO3

Hazard reference values

Values set by assessing bodies. A body that has not set a value is not listed here.
TypeValuePopulationAssessed byOpinion
ADIwithdrawn—JECFA2006

Evidence and how bodies read it

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

Common questions

Assembled from what is above, in the words the questions are usually asked in. Each answer is the same statement the relevant section makes, with the same citations behind it.

What is Propylparaben?
Propylparaben is a preservative, one of the parabens, used to inhibit moulds and yeasts. The European Union removed propylparaben and its sodium salt from its list of permitted food additives in 2006.
What is Propylparaben used for in food?
It is listed as a preservative — the role Canada and the US assign it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
Is Propylparaben banned in Europe?
No. Propylparaben does not appear on the EU's list of authorised food additives, which is not the same as being banned: the EU permits an additive only where it has authorised it, and usually the reason for an absence is that no one applied. The EU has made no finding against this substance. It does mean it may not be used as a food additive in the EU today.
Where is Propylparaben permitted?
Of the seven regulators this site reads, Australia and New Zealand, Canada, Japan and the US permit it. Each permission is for named foods at named levels, not a blanket one; the table on this page gives them with citations.
Is Propylparaben vegan?
Yes. Propylparaben is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.

Sources for this page

  • anz retrieved 2026-10-17
  • ca retrieved 2026-10-17
  • jp retrieved 2026-10-18
  • ecfr retrieved 2026-10-17

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

Machine-readable: a JSON record of this additive is given on request —how to ask for access.

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