Isopropyl Palmitate is permitted by the US FDA. Several countries restrict, warning-label, or have reviewed it for safety concerns. The US has more lenient additive rules than the EU, UK, Canada, and Japan, which is why this ingredient remains widely used here.
Isopropyl palmitate is considered safe by the CIR. However, it is rated comedogenic (pore-clogging) on the comedogenicity scale — it has a comedogenicity rating of 4/5, meaning it is likely to trigger breakouts in acne-prone individuals. It is not a carcinogen, hormone disruptor, or systemic toxin. Adverse effects are limited to acne and folliculitis in susceptible users.
Get a free Safe / Caution / Avoid score on any US food or beauty barcode, with EFSA + FDA citations.
Scan a product \u2192New scans, ingredient deep-dives, and safer-brand swaps. One email a week. No spam.
See the full Isopropyl Palmitate deep-dive page for regulatory citations, products that contain it, and verified clean swaps.