Dodecanoic acid is a straight-chain, twelve-carbon medium-chain saturated fatty acid with strong bactericidal properties; the main fatty acid in coconut oil and palm kernel oil.
How much products actually contain
No product states its amount yet.
Of the products containing it, 313 list it before the 1% line and 171 after it (usually 1% or less).
Products using this ingredient
12 of 479 confirmed · likeliest to carry enough first · See all 479
UL·OSUL·OS Skin Wash 500ml
On: The BodyWash Your Feet Cotton Foot Shampoo Jumbo 510ml (3 Types)
On: The BodyWash Your Feet Cotton Foot Shampoo 385ml Lemon/Grapefruit/Peach/Cooling/Soap Scent (5 Types)
Happy BathFoot Odor Removal Foot Shampoo 400ml & 500ml
UL·OSUL·OS Skin Wash 300ml
On: The BodyWash Your Feet Cotton Foot Shampoo 510ml Triple Special Set (2 Types)
On: The BodyWash Your Feet Cotton Foot Shampoo Mini Travel Size 50ml (Lemon)
SenkaPerfect Bubble For Body Sweet Floral (N)
NEOGENNeogen Berry Peri Pore Cleansing Mousse 150ml
Biome ActivateAcne Foam Wash
SKEDADaily Deep Cleansing Foam
Dr.BangGiWonNanobubble Mild Cleansing Foam
Definition
Dodecanoic acid is a straight-chain, twelve-carbon medium-chain saturated fatty acid with strong bactericidal properties; the main fatty acid in coconut oil and palm kernel oil. It has a role as an antibacterial agent, a plant metabolite and an algal metabolite. It is a straight-chain saturated fatty acid and a medium-chain fatty acid. It is a conjugate acid of a dodecanoate. It derives from a hydride of a dodecane.
Source: PubChem
US FDA substance register · UNII 1160N9NU9U · registered name LAURIC ACID · single chemical substance
Cosmetic roles
Safety & regulatory references
Not classified under Korea’s toxic-substance GHS list · existing chemical substance
Other restriction: ban substances that deplete the ozone layer
Source: EU CosIng ingredient list
Reviewed by CIR: Annual Review of Cosmetic Ingredient Safety Assessments - 2004/2005
Reviewed by CIR: Final Report on the Safety Assessment of Oleic Acid, Lauric Acid, Palmitic Acid, Myristic Acid, and Stearic Acid
Reviewed by CIR: Final Report: Safety Assessment of Fatty Acids and Fatty Acid Salts as Used in Cosmetics
More data — names, identifiers, properties, test records, literature
Official labels & definitions
JCIA labelling name ラウリン酸: 本品は、次の化学式で表される脂肪酸である。
Source: JCIA labelling names (Japan)
Names & identifiers
- CAS No.chemical registry number
- 143-07-7
- EC No.EU chemical inventory number
- 205-582-1
- DTXSIDUS EPA chemical ID
- DTXSID5021590
- DTXCIDUS EPA compound ID
- DTXCID801590
- IUPAC
- Dodecanoic acid
- Molecular formula
- C12H24O2
- Molecular weight
- 200.322 g/mol
Measured properties
- Appearance
- Lauric acid is a white solid with a slight odor of bay oil. (USCG, 1999) · Large Crystals, Other Solid, Dry Powder, Liquid
- Odour
- Characteristic, like oil of bay
- Boiling point
- 437 °F at 100 mmHg (NTP, 1992) · 298.9 °C
- Melting point
- 111 °F (NTP, 1992) · 43.2 °C
- Solubility
- less than 1 mg/mL at 70 °F (NTP, 1992) · 4.81 mg/L (at 25 °C)
- Density
- 0.883 (USCG, 1999) - Less dense than water, will float · 0.8679 g/cu cm at 50 °C
- Viscosity
- 7.30 mPa.sec at 50 °C
- Dissociation constant
- 5.3 (at 20 °C) · pKa = 5.3 at 20 °C
- Colour
- colourless, white
- Melting/freezing point
- 44 ℃
- Initial boiling point and range
- 298.9 ℃
- Flash point
- &, gt, 110 ℃
- Vapour pressure
- 0.000016 ㎜Hg (at 25C)
- Water solubility
- 4.81 ㎎/ℓ (at 25C)
- Relative density
- 0.9 ()
- n-Octanol/water partition coefficient (Kow)
- 4.60
- Molecular weight
- 200.31
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: PubChem · KOSHA safety data sheets (Korea)
What products actually use it for
What the 75 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.
- Emulsifier26
- Humectant10
- Surfactant (surface active agent)9
- Processing aids not otherwise specified6
- Lubricating agent5
- Fragrance4
- Flavouring and nutrient3
- Intermediate3
5 other uses
- Preservative2
- Plasticizer2
- Cleaning agent2
- Soil amendments2
- Monomers1
Source: US EPA CompTox dashboard
Irritation and sensitisation studies
2 skin studies and 5 eye studies are on record.
The studies disagree (the most common conclusion covers 50%), so they do not establish that this ingredient is irritating. These tests are on the raw material itself; irritation at the amount in a finished product is a different question.
See all 7 studies
- Studies Indicate No Significant Irritation
skin irritation: in vivo · Screening · OECD Guideline 404 (Acute Dermal Irritation / Corrosion) according to EU Method B.4 (Acute Toxicity: Dermal Irritation / Corrosion) according to - Severe Irritation
skin irritation: in vivo · Screening · OECD Guideline 404 (Acute Dermal Irritation / Corrosion) according to EU Method B.4 (Acute Toxicity: Dermal Irritation / Corrosion) according to - Studies Indicate No Significant Irritation
eye irritation: in vivo · Screening · OECD Guideline 405 (Acute Eye Irritation / Corrosion) according to EU Method B.5 (Acute Toxicity: Eye Irritation / Corrosion) according to EPA OPPTS 870.2400 (Acute Eye Irritation) according to - Severe Irritation
eye irritation: in vivo · Screening · other guideline: Regulation for the Enforcement of the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (Revised, Federal Register, September 17, 1964) according to other guideline: Title 49, Department of Transportation Code of Federal Regulation, Section 173, 240 (Federal Register, February 12, 1973) according to - Severe Irritation
eye irritation: in vivo · Screening · OECD Guideline 405 (Acute Eye Irritation / Corrosion) according to EU Method B.5 (Acute Toxicity: Eye Irritation / Corrosion) according to - Severe Irritation
eye irritation: in vivo · Screening · OECD Guideline 405 (Acute Eye Irritation / Corrosion) according to - Category 6.4A (Category 2A)
Eye Irritation · Read Across
Source: US EPA CompTox dashboard
Related literature
- Lauric Acid in Dietary Oils and Milks: A Comprehensive Review of Availability, Health Benefits, and Skincare Applications with Emphasis on Coconut Oil · 2026
- The Effect of Lauric Acid on Pathogens Colonizing the Burn Wound: A Pilot Study. · 2019
- The synthesis and characterization of hydrogel chitosan-alginate with the addition of plasticizer lauric acid for wound dressing application · 2017
- Chemical and Biological Properties of Lauric Acid: A Review. · 2016
- The Susceptibility of Aphids, Aphis gossypii Glover to Lauric Acid based Natural Pesticide☆ · 2013
Linked databases 21
- Australian Industrial Chemicals Inventory (AICIS)
- ChEBI
- ChEMBL
- China inventory of existing ingredients (IECIC)
- EU CosIng ingredient list 2
- JCIA labelling names (Japan)
- Korea Cosmetic Association ingredient dictionary
- Korea toxic substances GHS register (NIER)
- KOSHA safety data sheets (Korea)
- MFDS (Korea) cosmetic ingredient register 2
- NIST Chemistry WebBook
- PubChem 2
- Tlooto literature search 2 3 4 5
- UniChem cross-reference IDs
- US Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) 2 3 4
- 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