Abietic acid is an abietane diterpenoid that is abieta-7,13-diene substituted by a carboxy group at position 18.
Definition
Abietic acid is an abietane diterpenoid that is abieta-7,13-diene substituted by a carboxy group at position 18. It has a role as a plant metabolite. It is a monocarboxylic acid and an abietane diterpenoid. It is a conjugate acid of an abietate.
Source: PubChem
US FDA substance register · UNII V3DHX33184 · registered name ABIETIC ACID · single chemical substance
Abietic Acid is an organic acid derived from wood rosin. It conforms to the formula:
Cosmetic roles
Safety & regulatory references
Other restriction: ban substances that deplete the ozone layer
Source: EU CosIng ingredient list
More data — names, identifiers, properties, test records, literature
Names & identifiers
- CAS No.chemical registry number
- 17817-95-7
- CAS No.chemical registry number
- 514-10-3
- EC No.EU chemical inventory number
- 208-178-3
- DTXSIDUS EPA chemical ID
- DTXSID7022047
- DTXCIDUS EPA compound ID
- DTXCID202047
- IUPAC
- Abieta-7,13-dien-18-oic acid
- Molecular formula
- C20H30O2
- Molecular weight
- 302.458 g/mol
What products actually use it for
What the 4 products reported to the US EPA with this ingredient use it for. Products outside cosmetics are included, so the top few rows are its main uses.
- Surfactant (surface active agent)1
- Emulsifier1
- Fragrance1
- Monomers1
Source: US EPA CompTox dashboard
Irritation and sensitisation studies
2 skin studies and 0 eye studies are on record.
The study conclusions largely agree (100%). These tests are on the raw material itself; irritation at the amount in a finished product is a different question.
See all 2 studies
- SkinSens1
Skin Sensitization · QSAR Predicted - Sh
Skin Sensitization · Authoritative
Source: US EPA CompTox dashboard
Related literature
- The Determination of Abietic Acid in Natural Resins and Their Derived Products Using Assisted Ultrasonic Sample Preparation and Analysis by Liquid Chromatography · 2025
- Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activities of Abietic Acid against Skin-Associated Opportunistic Microorganisms · 2026
- Supramolecular Tools to Improve Wound Healing and Antioxidant Properties of Abietic Acid: Biocompatible Microemulsions and Emulgels · 2022
- Production of a Multifunctional PLGA Wound Dressings Containing Abietic Acid and Chlorin e6 · 2022
- Preventive Effect of Abietic Acid against Skin Cancer of Mice · 2017
Linked databases 16
- Australian Industrial Chemicals Inventory (AICIS)
- ChEBI
- ChEMBL
- EU CosIng ingredient list 2
- Korea Cosmetic Association ingredient dictionary
- MFDS (Korea) cosmetic ingredient register 2
- NIST Chemistry WebBook
- PubChem
- Tlooto literature search 2 3 4 5
- UniChem cross-reference IDs
- US EPA CompTox dashboard 2
- US EPA DSSTox chemical database
- US FDA substance registration (GSRS)
- US FDA Unique Ingredient Identifier (UNII)
- Wikidata
- Wikipedia · Korean · English · Japanese · Chinese