- What it can be used for
- Pushes the spray out (the functions the EU ingredient database, CosIng, lists for it; a product may use it for any of them)
- CAS number
- 106-97-8
Why it’s flagged
Allowed in EU cosmetics only with limits.
- Annex II entry 465 bans only this form: “Butane, if it contains ≥0,1 % w/w Butadiene”. Source: EU Cosmetics Regulation, Annex II (prohibited)
Annex III (restricted substances) or Annex V (preservatives) of the EU Cosmetics Regulation sets maximum amounts, allowed product types or required warnings.
What the research says
- In a study of 60 UK homes with real air sampling (not a lab chamber), the VOC found in the highest concentration indoors was n-butane, an aerosol-spray propellant, not a fragrance chemical; it reached a wintertime maximum of 4,630 ug/m3, and aerosol antiperspirant/deodorant was the single most universally used VOC-releasing product, used in all 60 homes. Moderate evidence. Heeley-Hill 2021 Industry-funded
Each finding shows its evidence grade. See every graded fact or how we grade.
What this page can’t tell you
These lists describe what a substance can do, its hazard. The risk from one product depends on how much is in it and how you use it, and the label doesn’t say how much.
Not being on a list doesn’t make an ingredient safe. It may never have been assessed.
Check your products
Check a whole labelProducts that list itEWG Skin DeepShop fragrance-free
“Products that list it” opens Open Beauty Facts, a free database anyone can edit.
Flagged the same way
Official lists checked September 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.