Sodium propyl p-hydroxybenzoate

Listed as a preservative by Canada.

Listed as preservatives (CA)
Chemical structure of Sodium propyl p-hydroxybenzoate, from PubChem compound 23679044
Structure from PubChem CID 23679044 (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.

The sodium salt of propylparaben, more soluble in water than the free ester, used as a preservative.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Sodium propyl p-hydroxybenzoate 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 ZealandNo 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.
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, propyl-ρ-hydroxybenzoate or sodium salt of methyl-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 S.14(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, calculated as propyl-ρ-hydroxybenzoate. If used in combination with 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 S.14(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, calculated as propyl-ρ-hydroxybenzoate. If used in combination with propyl-ρ-hydroxybenzoate, the total combined amount in the beverage 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 S.14(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, calculated as propyl-ρ-hydroxybenzoate. If used in combination with 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 S.14(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, propyl-ρ-hydroxybenzoate or sodium salt of methyl-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 S.14(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 AgencyNo listing matchedThis site imports only Japan’s list of designated additives (Appended Table 1 to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act), matched by English name. Existing additives, natural flavouring agents and ordinary foods used as additives are permitted outside that list and are not imported, so an empty row does not show that Japan does not permit the substance.
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 AdministrationNot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.
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.

Canada—3 GMP, 2 no quantity stated

No regulator sets a figure for Sodium propyl p-hydroxybenzoate. That is not an absence of control: where the listing says quantum satis or good manufacturing practice, the quantity is limited to what the effect requires.

What it is made from

Made by neutralising propyl p-hydroxybenzoate with sodium hydroxide.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian

Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.

InChIKey
IXMINYBUNCWGER-UHFFFAOYSA-M
PubChem
CID 23679044

Every name it appears under

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

E number

  • E217

CAS registry number

  • 35285-69-9

Other names

  • 4-Hydroxybenzoic acid, propyl ester, sodium salt
  • 4-Hydroxybenzoic acid-propyl ester sodium
  • 4-propoxycarbonylphenolate
  • 625NNB0G9N
  • Benzoic acid, 4-hydroxy-, propyl ester, sodium salt
  • BENZOIC ACID, 4-HYDROXY-, PROPYL ESTER, SODIUM SALT (1:1)
  • BENZOIC ACID, p-HYDROXY-, PROPYL ESTER, SODIUM DERIV.
  • Caswell No. 714A
  • EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 061204
  • IXMINYBUNCWGER-UHFFFAOYSA-M
  • Natrium propyl 4-hydroxybenzoat
  • Parasept
  • Propyl 4-hydroxybenzoate sodium salt
  • Propyl 4-hydroxybenzoate sodium salt, tested according to Ph.Eur.
  • Propyl p-hydroxybenzoate, sodium salt
  • propyl paraben sodium
  • Propyl-4-hydroxybenzoat natriumsalz
  • Propylparaben sodium
  • PROPYLPARABEN SODIUM (II)
  • Propylparaben sodium (NF)
  • Propylparaben, sodium salt
  • Sodium 4-(propoxycarbonyl)phenolate
  • Sodium 4-propoxycarbonylphenoxide
  • Sodium propyl 4-hydroxybenzoate
  • Sodium propyl hydroxybenzoate
  • SODIUM PROPYL HYDROXYBENZOATE (MART.)
  • Sodium propyl p-hydroxybenzoate
  • SODIUM PROPYL P-HYDROXYBENZOATE (E 217)
  • sodium propyl paraben
  • Sodium Propyl Paraben IP/BP/USP/Ph.Eur
  • Sodium Propyl Parahydroxybenzoate
  • SODIUM PROPYL PARAHYDROXYBENZOATE (EP MONOGRAPH)
  • Sodium propyl-p-hydroxyl benzoate
  • Sodium propylparaben
  • Sodium Salt of Propyl-ρ-Hydroxybenzoic Acid
  • sodium;4-propoxycarbonylphenolate

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 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 Sodium propyl p-hydroxybenzoate?
The sodium salt of propylparaben, more soluble in water than the free ester, used as a preservative.
What is Sodium propyl p-hydroxybenzoate used for in food?
It is listed as a preservative — the role Canada assigns it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
Where is Sodium propyl p-hydroxybenzoate permitted?
Of the seven regulators this site reads, Canada permits it. Each permission is for named foods at named levels, not a blanket one; the table on this page gives them with citations.
Is Sodium propyl p-hydroxybenzoate vegan?
Yes. Sodium propyl p-hydroxybenzoate is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.

Sources for this page

  • ca 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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