5-AMINO-4-CHLORO-O-CRESOL

📋 Quick facts

Description: 5-AMINO-4-CHLORO-O-CRESOL — HAIR DYEING.

All Functions: HAIR DYEING

Quick Facts:

• Category: other

Proven Benefits At A Glance:

• 5-Amino-4-Chloro-o-Cresol is an oxidative hair dye ingredient — it needs to be mixed with an oxidizing agent before use
• When combined with its oxidizer developer, skin absorption is extremely low
• Animal studies found no skin irritation from repeated exposure at safe concentrations
• The ingredient is not a skin sensitizer when mixed with developer, though it can be on its own
• Products containing this ingredient must include patch test instructions as a precaution

📊 Comedogenicity

🛡️ Safety rating

Safety tier is a starting heuristic from regulatory status and comedogenic rating, not a dermatological verdict — see our Terms for the full disclaimer. Research confidence reflects how many real cited studies back this ingredient, not the strength of their findings.

🌍 Regulatory Status

💧 Skin Type Compatibility

⚠️ Don’t Combine With

📚 Research & Evidence

🔬 The Science

5-Amino-4-Chloro-o-Cresol belongs to a family of chemical compounds used as oxidative hair dyes, meaning they require mixing with an oxidizing agent (often called “developer”) before being applied to hair (Int J Toxicol, 2004). Here’s what the safety research shows:

#1: Skin absorption is minimal when used as intended. While the ingredient alone penetrates skin significantly, when combined with the oxidative developer used in actual hair dye products, skin absorption becomes “extremely low” (Int J Toxicol, 2004). The body also clears the ingredient rapidly through urine. #2: It does not cause skin irritation at appropriate concentrations. Animal studies found no cumulative irritation from repeated skin exposure, and single exposures up to 10% concentration caused no irritation.

At the 5% concentration used in testing, it showed no skin sensitization when combined with developer in guinea pig maximization tests (Int J Toxicol, 2004). #3: Eye irritation is a concern only at high concentrations. Undiluted (100%) 5-Amino-4-Chloro-o-Cresol caused eye irritation in animal studies, but a 5% solution did not (Int J Toxicol, 2004). #4: Animal toxicity studies did not reveal adverse effects. Subchronic (short-to-medium-term) toxicity testing in animals showed no negative reactions, and exposure levels from cosmetics were determined to be far below the threshold where developmental concerns would arise (Int J Toxicol, 2004). The research supports safety for use in oxidative hair dyes specifically, provided products include patch test instructions so consumers can identify individual sensitivity before full application (Int J Toxicol, 2004).

The available data do not, however, extend to other hair dye formulations like semipermanent dyes.

📄 Related Research

Matched by search — not necessarily verified support for every statement above.

• Unknown authors (2004). Final report on the safety assessment of 6-Amino-m-Cresol, 6-Amino-o-Cresol, 4-Amino-m-Cresol, 5-Amino-4-Chloro-o-Cresol, 5-Amino-6-Chloro-o-Cresol, and 4-Chloro-2-Aminophenol. Int J Toxicol.

🧴 Products Containing 5-AMINO-4-CHLORO-O-CRESOL