Sorbic Acid
Sorbic acid
- Role
- A preservative that helps protect a water-based formula from microbial spoilage.
- Catalog formulas
- 3
- Type
- Stability
- Verified
- 09.11.2026
What does this ingredient do in an antiperspirant?
Hexa-2,4-dienoic acid; according to CosIng, it functions as a preservative and a fragrance ingredient. COSMILE Europe notes that it is often combined with other preservatives and with antioxidants, because the double bonds in its molecule are sensitive to oxygen.
Part of a system, not a label in isolation
In roll-ons and sprays with a water phase it is part of the preservation system. It does not reduce sweating and does not act on sweat odor.
In the EU, sorbic acid and its salts are permitted as preservatives (Regulation 1223/2009, Annex V, entry 4) at up to 0.6% calculated as the acid.
Sorbic acid is known to be able to cause contact urticaria. In a retrospective analysis of German clinics, it was, together with natural rubber latex, the most frequent trigger in the Erlangen cohort, although contact urticaria itself was rare, at under 0.4% of patients examined.
It is not potassium sorbate (Potassium Sorbate): that is its potassium salt and a separate INCI entry, although both share one Annex V entry. Nor is it sorbitol (Sorbitol), a humectant polyol.
Products containing Sorbic Acid
Links are based on the complete published INCI list for the exact product version.
Sources
The conclusions apply to the stated conditions and jurisdictions, not automatically to every concentration or product.
- EU CosIng: Sorbic Acid Supports: function, substance identity
- CosIng Checker: Annex V, entry 4 (Sorbic acid and its salts) Supports: permitted concentration, restrictions
- COSMILE Europe (CosIng data): Sorbic Acid Supports: function, use in formulas
- Süß et al. Contact urticaria: frequency, elicitors and cofactors in three cohorts (Contact Dermatitis, 2019) Supports: contact urticaria