skincarecheck
INCI ingredient

Potassium Hydroxide

Also listed as: Potassium Hydroxide+

A strong alkali used in tiny amounts to set pH or to turn oils into soap.

What it triggers

  • Vegan originYesno animal source
  • FragranceNonot a perfume ingredient
  • ParabenNonot a preservative of this family
  • SulfateNonot a sulfate surfactant
  • SiliconeNonot a silicone
  • AlcoholNonot a drying alcohol

What it does

Potassium hydroxide (caustic potash) does two jobs. In creams and gels a trace neutralises acidic thickeners and adjusts pH; in liquid soaps it reacts with oils to make the soap itself, so none of it remains free in the finished bar or bottle.

CosIng lists it as buffering. It is a mineral-derived alkali and affects none of the six checks.

Functions: buffering

Products with Potassium Hydroxide

in 300 products

Showing 24 of 300 products with this ingredient, most scanned first.

In the EU ingredient database

Functions listed by CosIng
  • buffering
  • buffering: Stabilising the pH of an aqueous medium in a narrow range even if an acid or base is added. Altering and/or maintaining a cosmetic product's pH at the desired level.

CAS 1310-58-3 · EC 215-181-3

EU regulation

Listed in Annex III (ref. 15a) of the EU Cosmetics Regulation, maximum concentration (a) 5% (b) 2% (General use) and 4.5% (Professional use) Entry 15d: 1,5%. (a) Nail cuticle solvent (b) Hair straightener (c) pH adjuster for depilatories (d) Other uses as pH adjuster Callosity softener/remover (entry 15d) III/15a, 15d (a) Contains alkali Avoid contact with eyes Can cause blindness Keep out of reach of children (b) 1. Contains alkali Avoid contact with eyes Can cause blindness Keep out of reach of children 2. For professional use only Avoid contact with eyes Can cause blindness (c) Keep out of reach of children Avoid contact with eyes

Source: CosIng, European Commission. Informative, no legal value; the regulation text is the reference.

Classification from the INCI name; product lists from Open Beauty Facts.Report a mistake