Caredermis

Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate

Severity 5/10

preservative

Is Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate safe?

Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate is prohibited in cosmetic products in the EU (CosIng Annex II), with documented concerns: cancer concern, allergy risk.

In plain language

A glycine-derived preservative frequently found in 'natural' products despite being a formaldehyde releaser.

A Caredermis plain-language explanation to help you read the label — not a regulator statement. The sourced facts are the classifications and status shown on this page.

Documented concerns

Each concern below is drawn from official data — see the cited sources ↓

Cancer concern

5/10

Formaldehyde releaser, often marketed as a 'natural' preservative.

Allergy risk

4/10

Can trigger reactions in formaldehyde-allergic users.

Official regulatory status

Pulled directly from official regulatory datasets and expert reviews — not our own judgement.

EU-permitted preservative (max 0.5%)EU cosmetics: Prohibited

EU SCCS safety opinions

  • · Opinion on The Determination of certain Formaldehyde Releasers in Cosmetic Products
  • · SCIENTIFIC ADVICE ON the threshold for the warning 'contains formaldehyde' in Annex V, preamble point 2 for formaldehyde-releasing substances
Read SCCS opinions ↗

Guidance by skin profile

Caredermis editorial guidance based on the concerns above — checked against the official records on every build, but not itself a regulator statement.

  • Sensitive skinUse with caution
  • Oily & acne-proneNo specific concern
  • Dry skinNo specific concern
  • PregnancyNo specific concern
  • Babies & kidsUse with caution
  • Eczema-proneHigh caution

Sources

Each authority below is shown only because our ingested copy of its data lists Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate — not because we asserted it. Follow a link to verify the classification or regulation directly.

See our methodology for how these map to concern levels. Informational only — not medical advice.

Related ingredients

Ingredients with a similar role or shared type of concern — useful for comparing what's on your label.

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