Phytantriol is an alcohol (polyol). In cosmetics and personal care products, Phytantriol is used most often in the formulation of hair care preparations and, less often, in skin and nail preparations.
The safety of Phytantriol has been assessed by the
Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel. The CIR Expert Panel evaluated the scientific data and concluded that Phytantriol was safe as a cosmetic ingredient.CIR Safety Review: The CIR Expert Panel noted that Phytantriol was not toxic in acute oral testing, and there were no structural alerts suggesting that the molecular structure of Phytantriol would possess reproductive or developmental toxicity or carcinogenic potential. The available genotoxicity data demonstrated that Phytantriol was not genotoxic. In addition, dermal penetration of Phytantriol was low, consistent with its chemical structure and molecular weight.
The CIR Expert Panel also considered that Phytantriol was used in products that may be aerosolized. Because current technology used for such cosmetic products produces particles that were not respirable, the absence of inhalation toxicity data was not considered relevant.
Some studies suggested that allergic reactions were possible at concentrations less than or equal to
3%; however, all of the irritation and sensitization data, when considered as a whole, suggested to the CIR Expert Panel that cosmetic products could be formulated at concentrations as high as
3% without significant irritation or sensitization.
Phytantriol may be marketed for use as a cosmetic ingredient within the European Union according to the general provisions of the Cosmetics Directive.
Link to the EU Cosmetics Directive:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/cosmetics/html/consolidated_d...