EU cosmetic ingredients, restrictions and safety

Annex II Entry 2 17/10/2010

(2-Acetoxyethyl)trimethylammonium hydroxide (Acetylcholine) and its salts

(2-Acetoxyethyl)trimethylammonium hydroxide (Acetylcholine) and its salts is listed in Annex II as a prohibited substance for cosmetic products placed on the EU market.

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Prohibited substance— Annex II, EU Regulation 1223/2009

Entry: 2

Chemical identity and properties

PubChem 2D chemical structure for CAS 51-84-3

CAS 51-84-3PubChem CID 187

Acetylcholine

Acetylcholine is actylcholine is an ester of acetic acid and choline, which acts as a neurotransmitter. It has a role as a hormone, a neurotransmitter, a vasodilator agent, a muscarinic agonist, a mouse metabolite and a human metabolite. It is an acylcholine and an acetate ester. — ChEBI

IUPAC name: 2-acetyloxyethyl(trimethyl)azanium

Molecular formula: C7H16NO2+
Molecular weight: 146.21 g/mol
Exact mass: 146.118103753 Da
XLogP3: 0.2
Topological polar surface area: 26.3 Å²
Hydrogen-bond donors: 0
Hydrogen-bond acceptors: 2
Covalent units: 1
Defined stereocentres: 0

Also known as

O-AcetylcholineCholine acetate (ester)2-(Acetyloxy)-N,N,N-trimethylethanaminiumethanaminium, 2-(acetyloxy)-N,N,N-trimethyl-N9YNS0M02XCHEBI:15355[2-(acetyloxy)ethyl]trimethylazanium2-acetyloxyethyl-trimethylazanium

16 more reported names

(2-(acetyloxy)ethyl)trimethylazaniumCusi, AcetilcolinaFluoride, AcetylcholineRefChem:5512Hydroxide, AcetylcholineAcetylcholine L TartrateL-Tartrate, Acetylcholine200-128-9Acetylcholine PicrateCholine acetate(2-Acetoxyethyl)trimethylammoniumAcetyl choline ionAcetylcholinumAcetyl choline cationAch(2-Acetoxyethyl)trimetilammonium

Open full PubChem record PubChem annotations 3D structure image

External database identifiers

ChEBI:CHEBI:15355
ChEMBL:CHEMBL667
EPA DTXSID:DTXSID8075334
PubMed:23798605
PubMed:23122312
PubMed:23117946
PubMed:23115196
PubMed:23114665
PubMed:23113293
PubMed:23112419
PubMed:23110146
PubMed:23109986
PubMed:23106973
PubMed:23105547
PubMed:23105530

Retrieved from NIH PubChem on 2026-08-31 by checksum-valid CAS matching. Chemical properties do not replace the regulatory decision on this page.

Record details

Chemical name

(2-Acetoxyethyl)trimethylammonium hydroxide (Acetylcholine) and its salts

Regulatory information

Regulation

See every entry this act set

Key data

CAS

EC

Annex

Entry number

2

Direct matches are limited for this record, so nearby entries from Annex II are shown as well.

Annex II 1

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Annex II 3

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Deanol aceglumate (INN)

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EC: 200-133-6

Annex II 5

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Annex II 6

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Annex II 7

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Annex II 8

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Cinchophen (INN), its salts, derivatives and salts of these derivatives

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Annex II 9

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Thyropropic acid (INN) and its salts

CAS: 51-26-3

Annex II 10

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Trichloroacetic acid

CAS: 76-03-9

EC: 200-927-2

Annex II 11

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Aconitum napellus L. (leaves, roots and galenical preparations)

CAS: 84603-50-9

EC: 283-252-6

Annex II 12

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Aconitine (principal alkaloid of Aconitum napellus L.) and its salts

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Annex II 13

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Adonis vernalis L. and its preparations

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EC: 283-458-6

What Annex II means for (2-Acetoxyethyl)trimethylammonium hydroxide (Acetylcholine) and its salts

(2-Acetoxyethyl)trimethylammonium hydroxide (Acetylcholine) and its salts is listed as a prohibited substance under Annex II of EU Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009 and must not be intentionally added. Article 17 separately addresses unintended small quantities that are technically unavoidable under good manufacturing practice and compatible with the Article 3 safety requirement.

Formulators must screen their ingredients and raw materials to ensure none contain this substance. Suppliers should provide documentation confirming absence when requested.

The page also surfaces 12 related annex records with overlapping identifiers, annex logic or naming patterns.

Compliance checklist

Verify this substance is absent from all raw materials and finished formulations.
Request absence confirmation or CoA from raw material suppliers.
Document the screening result in the Product Information File (PIF).

Frequently asked questions

Yes. (2-Acetoxyethyl)trimethylammonium hydroxide (Acetylcholine) and its salts is listed in Annex II of EU Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009 and is prohibited as an intentionally added cosmetic ingredient. Article 17 provides a narrow exception for unintended small quantities that are technically unavoidable under good manufacturing practice, provided the product remains safe under Article 3.

CAS 51-84-3 is the unique numerical identifier assigned to (2-Acetoxyethyl)trimethylammonium hydroxide (Acetylcholine) and its salts by the Chemical Abstracts Service. In cosmetic compliance work, the CAS number is used to cross-reference the substance across regulatory databases, raw material specifications and safety assessment reports. Multiple EU annex entries may share the same CAS number if the same substance appears under different conditions or in different annexes.

Use the INCI Checker tool on this site to paste your full ingredient list (INCI) and scan it against all Annex II–VI entries. The tool highlights any ingredients that match restricted, prohibited or allergen-flagged records. This is useful for rapid compliance screening of finished product formulas or raw material declarations.

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Source note for Annex II record (2-Acetoxyethyl)trimethylammonium hydroxide (Acetylcholine) and its salts

This page summarizes one Annex II record for (2-Acetoxyethyl)trimethylammonium hydroxide (Acetylcholine) and its salts from public European Commission cosmetic materials and adds linked inventory or identifier matches when available.

Use this record page to review Annex II conditions for (2-Acetoxyethyl)trimethylammonium hydroxide (Acetylcholine) and its salts, but confirm any final regulatory decision against the current official annex wording and source files.

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