Definition
Coal Tar is a thick liquid or semi-solid obtained as a by-product in the destructive distillation of bituminous coal
Cosmetic roles
Safety & regulatory references
- Banned
- Argentina · ASEAN · Brazil · Canada · China · European Union · South Korea · Taiwan · United Kingdom
Source: ASEAN Cosmetic Directive · EU Cosmetics Regulation · Health Canada Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist · MFDS (Korea) cosmetic regulatory information · Taiwan FDA cosmetic ingredients · UK cosmetics regulations (OPSS)
Not classified under Korea’s toxic-substance GHS list · existing chemical substance
EU Cosmetics Regulation, Annex II (prohibited substances), entry 420
Health Canada Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist · prohibited in cosmetics
Restriction II/420 · Other restriction: ban substances that deplete the ozone layer
Source: EU CosIng ingredient list
Reviewed by CIR: Final Safety Assessment of Coal Tar as Used in Cosmetics
CIR reviewed this ingredient and flagged its status as: CIR insufficient data ingredients - use not supported (insufficient data or use not supported — CIR's own classification, not a full safety-as-used conclusion).
More data — names, identifiers, properties, test records, literature
Names & identifiers
- CAS No.chemical registry number
- 8007-45-2
- EC No.EU chemical inventory number
- 232-361-7
- DTXSIDUS EPA chemical ID
- DTXSID1027683
Measured properties
- Appearance
- liquid
- Melting/freezing point
- 73 ℃
- Initial boiling point and range
- 205~450 ℃
- Flash point
- 207 ℃(c.c.)
- Relative density
- (1.18~1.23)
- n-Octanol/water partition coefficient (Kow)
- 1.99
Values measured on the substance itself. The KOSHA data are a reference for writing and reviewing safety data sheets, not a specification for a commercial raw material.
Source: KOSHA safety data sheets (Korea)
What products actually use it for
What the 5 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.
- Anti-dandruff (EPA)2
- Biocide2
- Catalyst1
Source: US EPA CompTox dashboard
Irritation and sensitisation studies
3 skin studies and 1 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 4 studies
- Category 1
Skin Sensitization · Screening - Skin sensitisation - category 1
Skin Sensitization · Screening - Category 3
Skin Irritation · Screening - Category 1
Eye Irritation · Screening
Source: US EPA CompTox dashboard
Related literature
- [Benzo(a)pyrene and the carcinogenic effect of coal tar]. · 1987
- The pharmacological variability of crude coal tar · 1982
- Final Safety Assessment of Coal Tar as Used in Cosmetics · 2008
- Coal tar in dermatology · 2007
- Low concentration dithranol and coal tar (Psorin) in psoriasis: a comparison with alcoholic coal tar extract and allantoin (Alphosyl) · 1989
Linked databases 19
- ASEAN Cosmetic Directive
- Australian Industrial Chemicals Inventory (AICIS)
- EU CosIng ingredient list 2
- EU Cosmetics Regulation
- EU prohibited substances (Annex II)
- Health Canada Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist
- IARC carcinogen classification
- Korea toxic substances GHS register (NIER)
- KOSHA safety data sheets (Korea)
- MFDS (Korea) cosmetic regulatory information
- Taiwan FDA cosmetic ingredients
- Tlooto literature search 2 3 4 5
- UK cosmetics regulations (OPSS)
- US Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) 2 3
- US EPA CompTox dashboard
- US EPA DSSTox chemical database
- US FDA substance registration (GSRS)
- Wikidata
- Wikipedia · Korean · English · Japanese · Chinese