Phenoxyacetic acid is a monocarboxylic acid that is the O-phenyl derivative of glycolic acid.
Definition
Phenoxyacetic acid is a monocarboxylic acid that is the O-phenyl derivative of glycolic acid. A metabolite of 2-phenoxyethanol, it is used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, fungicides and dyes. It has a role as a plant growth retardant, an allergen, an Aspergillus metabolite and a human xenobiotic metabolite. It is a monocarboxylic acid and an aromatic ether. It is functionally related to a glycolic acid. It is a conjugate acid of a phenoxyacetate.
Source: PubChem
US FDA substance register · UNII YRC253429Q · registered name PHENOXYACETIC ACID · single chemical substance
POA
Cosmetic roles
More data — names, identifiers, properties, test records, literature
Names & identifiers
- CAS No.chemical registry number
- 122-59-8
- EC No.EU chemical inventory number
- 204-556-7
- DTXSIDUS EPA chemical ID
- DTXSID9025873
- DTXCIDUS EPA compound ID
- DTXCID405873
- IUPAC
- Phenoxyacetic acid
- Molecular formula
- C8H8O3
- Molecular weight
- 152.149 g/mol
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.
- Flavouring and nutrient2
- Fragrance1
Source: US EPA CompTox dashboard
Irritation and sensitisation studies
1 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 2 studies
- Category 6.3A (Category 2)
Skin Irritation · Read Across - Category 6.4A (Category 2A)
Eye Irritation · Read Across
Source: US EPA CompTox dashboard
Related literature
- Study of the Relationship Between the Structures and Biological Activity of Herbicides Derived from Phenoxyacetic Acid · 2025
- Biomimetic Chromatography/QSAR Investigations in Modeling Properties Influencing the Biological Efficacy of Phenoxyacetic Acid-Derived Congeners · 2025
- A review of pretreatment and analytical methods for phenoxyacetic acid herbicides in food. · 2025
- Use of in vitro metabolism and biokinetics assays to refine predicted in vivo and in vitro internal exposure to the cosmetic ingredient, phenoxyethanol, for use in risk assessment. · 2022
- Use of 2% 2-phenoxyethanol and 0.1% octenidine as antiseptic in premature newborn infants of 23-26 weeks gestation. · 2002
Linked databases 14
- Australian Industrial Chemicals Inventory (AICIS)
- ChEBI
- ChEMBL
- EU CosIng ingredient list 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 · English · Japanese