1-(hydroxymethyl)-5,5-dimethylhydantoin is an imidazolidine-2,4-dione substituted by a hydroxymethyl group at position 1 and two methyl groups at position 5.
- Korean limit
- 0.20%
Definition
1-(hydroxymethyl)-5,5-dimethylhydantoin is an imidazolidine-2,4-dione substituted by a hydroxymethyl group at position 1 and two methyl groups at position 5. It is approved by the FDA for use as an adjuvant in the bleaching of recycled paper and board used in food packaging, and is also a decomposition product of DMDM hydantoin, a preservative and antimicrobial agent used in cosmetics and personal care products. It has a role as an antimicrobial agent. It is an imidazolidine-2,4-dione and a hemiaminal.
Source: PubChem
US FDA substance register · UNII 5CW1VP51HL · registered name 1-(HYDROXYMETHYL)-5,5-DIMETHYLHYDANTOIN · single chemical substance
Cosmetic roles
Safety & regulatory references
South Korea
- Maximum concentration : 0.20%
More data — names, identifiers, properties, test records, literature
Names & identifiers
- CAS No.chemical registry number
- 16228-00-5
- CAS No.chemical registry number
- 27636-82-4
- CAS No.chemical registry number
- 116-25-6
- EC No.EU chemical inventory number
- 240-352-4
- EC No.EU chemical inventory number
- 204-132-1
- DTXSIDUS EPA chemical ID
- DTXSID6035152
- DTXCIDUS EPA compound ID
- DTXCID4015152
- IUPAC
- 1-(Hydroxymethyl)-5,5-dimethylimidazolidine-2,4-dione
- Molecular formula
- C6H10N2O3
- Molecular weight
- 158.157 g/mol
Measured properties
- Appearance
- Solid · liquid
- Melting point
- 110 - 117 °C
- Solubility
- Freely soluble
- Melting/freezing point
- 100 ℃
- Initial boiling point and range
- 420.7 ℃
- Vapour pressure
- 8.46E-9 ㎜Hg
- Water solubility
- 1000000 ㎎/ℓ (25℃)
- Vapour density
- 5.459095616154643
- Relative density
- 1.257
- n-Octanol/water partition coefficient (Kow)
- -1.53
- Molecular weight
- 158.15
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 3 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.
- Intermediate2
- Biocide1
Source: US EPA CompTox dashboard
Related literature
- Preservatives in Leave‐On Cosmetics Available on the Dutch Market · 2026
- Toxicokinetic Characterization of MDM Hydantoin via Stable Metabolite DMH: Population Modeling for Predicting Dermal Formaldehyde Formation · 2025
- Patch test reactivity to DMDM hydantoins · 1988
- Patch test reactivity to DMDM hydantoin. Relationship to formaldehyde allergy. · 1988
Linked databases 17
- Australian Industrial Chemicals Inventory (AICIS)
- ChEBI
- ChEMBL
- China inventory of existing ingredients (IECIC)
- EU CosIng ingredient list 2
- Korea Cosmetic Association ingredient dictionary
- KOSHA safety data sheets (Korea)
- MFDS (Korea) cosmetic ingredient register 2
- MFDS (Korea) cosmetic regulatory information 2 3 4
- PubChem 2
- Tlooto literature search 2 3 4
- 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