Final Report of the Addendum to the Safety Assessment of n-Butyl Alcohol as Used in Cosmetics

Abstract

n-Butyl Alcohol is a primary aliphatic alcohol historically used as a solvent in nail care cosmetic products, but new concentration of use data indicate that it also is being used at low concentrations in eye makeup, personal hygiene, and shaving cosmetic products. n-Butyl Alcohol has been generally recognized as safe for use as a flavoring substance in food and appears on the 1982 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) list of inactive ingredients for approved prescription drug products. n-Butyl Alcohol can be absorbed through the skin, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract. n-Butyl Alcohol may be formed by hydrolysis of butyl acetate in the blood, but is rapidly oxidized. The single oral dose LD50 of n-Butyl Alcohol for rats was 0.79 to 4.36 g/kg. The dermal LD50 for rabbits was 4.2 g/kg. Inhalation toxicity studies in humans demonstrate sensory irritation of the upper respiratory tract, but only at levels above 3000 mg/m3. Animal studies demonstrate intoxication, restlessness, ataxia, prostration, and narcosis. Exposures of rats to levels up to 4000 ppm failed to produce hearing defects. High concentrations of n-Butyl Alcohol vapors can be fatal. Ocular irritation was observed for n-Butyl alcohol at 0.005 ml of a 40% solution. The behavioral no-effect dose for n-Butyl Alcohol injected subcutaneously (s.c.) was 120 mg/kg. Fetotoxicity has been demonstrated, but only at maternally toxic levels (1000 mg/kg). No significant behavioral or neurochemical effects were seen in offspring following either maternal or paternal exposure to 3000 or 6000 ppm. n-Butyl Alcohol was not mutagenic in Ames tests, did not induce sister-chromatid exchange or chromosome breakage in chick embryos or Chinese hamster ovary cells, did not induce micronuclei formation in V79 Chinese hamster cells, did not have any chromosome-damaging effects in a mouse micronucleus test, and did not impair chromosome distribution in the course of mitosis. Clinical testing of n-Butyl Alcohol for nonimmunological contact urticaria was negative in 105 subjects. Repeat-insult patch test (RIPT) studies of nail colors and enamels containing 3% n-Butyl Alcohol in one study produced reactions on challenge, but further study linked significant positive reactions to another solvent. In other RIPT studies, only minimal reactions were reported. A photopatch test demonstrated that a nail enamel containing 3% n-Butyl Alcohol resulted in no reactions. Workers complained of ocular irritation, disagreeable odor, slight headache and vertigo, slight irritation of nose and throat, and dermatitis of the fingers and hands when the air concentration of n-Butyl Alcohol was greater than 50 ppm, as compared to an odor threshold in air of 0.83 ppm. The available safety test data were considered adequate to support the safety of n-Butyl Alcohol in all cosmetic product categories in which it is currently used.