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Annex II Entry 337 15/10/2010

Yohimbine and its salts

Yohimbine and its salts is listed in Annex II as a prohibited substance for cosmetic products placed on the EU market.

Prohibited substance— Annex II, EU Regulation 1223/2009
Entry: 337

Chemical identity and properties

PubChem 2D chemical structure for CAS 146-48-5
CAS 146-48-5PubChem CID 8969

Yohimbine

Yohimbine is an indole alkaloid with alpha2-adrenoceptor antagonist activity. It is produced by Corynanthe johimbe and Rauwolfia serpentina. It has a role as a dopamine receptor D2 antagonist, an alpha-adrenergic antagonist and a serotonergic antagonist. It is functionally related to a yohimbic acid. ChEBI

IUPAC name
methyl (1S,15R,18S,19R,20S)-18-hydroxy-1,3,11,12,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21-dodecahydroyohimban-19-carboxylate
Molecular formula
C21H26N2O3
Molecular weight
354.4 g/mol
Exact mass
354.19434270 Da
XLogP3
2.9
Topological polar surface area
65.6 Ų
Hydrogen-bond donors
2
Hydrogen-bond acceptors
4
Covalent units
1
Defined stereocentres
5

Also known as

YohimbinQuebrachineCorynineQuebrachinAPHRODINEYohimbic acid methyl ester(+)-YohimbineYohimbinum
16 more reported names
17alpha-hydroxyyohimban-16alpha-carboxylic acid methyl ester2Y49VWD90Q(16alpha,17alpha)-17-hydroxyyohimban-16-carboxylic acid methyl esterYohimban-16-carboxylic acid, 17-hydroxy-, methyl ester, (16alpha,17alpha)-CHEBI:10093methyl (1S,15R,18S,19R,20S)-18-hydroxy-3,13-diazapentacyclo[11.8.0.0^{2,10}.0^{4,9}.0^{15,20}]henicosa-2(10),4,6,8-tetraene-19-carboxylatemethyl (1S,15R,18S,19R,20S)-18-hydroxy-3,13-diazapentacyclo(11.8.0.0^(2,10).0^(4,9).0^(15,20))henicosa-2(10),4,6,8-tetraene-19-carboxylateTartrate, CorynanthineRefChem:56477205-672-0AphrosolJohimbin17-Hydroxyyohimban-16-carboxylic acid methyl estermethyl 17alpha-hydroxyyohimban-16alpha-carboxylateActibineYOHIMBINE CHLORIDE
External database identifiers

Retrieved from NIH PubChem on 2026-09-02 by checksum-valid CAS matching. Chemical properties do not replace the regulatory decision on this page.

Record details

Chemical name

Yohimbine and its salts

Chemical / IUPAC name

Yohimban-16-carboxylic acid, 17-hydroxy-, methyl ester, (16alpha,17alpha)-

Regulatory information

Regulation

(EC) 2009/1223

See every entry this act set

Key data

Annex
Entry number
337

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

Annex II 343
Nearby record in the same annex

Dioxane

CAS: 123-91-1
EC: 204-661-8

What Annex II means for Yohimbine and its salts

Yohimbine 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. Yohimbine 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 146-48-5 is the unique numerical identifier assigned to Yohimbine 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.

Source note for Annex II record Yohimbine and its salts

This page summarizes one Annex II record for Yohimbine 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 Yohimbine and its salts, but confirm any final regulatory decision against the current official annex wording and source files.

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