Is TRYPTOPHAN safe to use in EU cosmetics?

TRYPTOPHAN is listed in the EU CosIng ingredient inventory with no direct annex restriction records linked at this time. Always verify against the current official CosIng database before formulating.

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InventoryRef 3880115/10/2010

TRYPTOPHAN

2-Amino-3-indol-3-ylpropanoic acid

TRYPTOPHAN is listed in the EU CosIng inventory, but no direct annex records are linked on this page yet.

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Regulatory evidence by market

No rule for this ingredient has been imported for any of the 13 markets tracked here.

That describes this inventory, not the law. No imported rule is not evidence that an ingredient is permitted: a rule may exist under another name or identifier, or in a dataset not yet imported here.

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Chemical identity and properties

PubChem 2D chemical structure for CAS 54-12-6

CAS 54-12-6PubChem CID 1148

Dl-Tryptophan

Tryptophan is an alpha-amino acid that is alanine bearing an indol-3-yl substituent at position 3. It has a role as a Daphnia magna metabolite. It is a polar amino acid, an alpha-amino acid, an aromatic amino acid and an aminoalkylindole. It contains a 1H-indol-3-ylmethyl group. It is a conjugate base of a tryptophanium. It is a conjugate acid of a tryptophanate. It is a tautomer of a tryptophan zwitterion. — ChEBI

IUPAC name: 2-amino-3-(1H-indol-3-yl)propanoic acid

Molecular formula: C11H12N2O2
Molecular weight: 204.22 g/mol
Exact mass: 204.089877630 Da
XLogP3: -1.1
Topological polar surface area: 79.1 Å²
Hydrogen-bond donors: 3
Hydrogen-bond acceptors: 3
Covalent units: 1
Defined stereocentres: 0

Also known as

(+-)-TryptophanTryptophan, DLTRYPTOPHAN, DL-CCRIS 719NSC 13118EINECS 200-194-9AI3-24395X9U7434L7A

16 more reported names

NSC-13118DL-TRYPTOPHAN [FCC]DLTrytophaneDL3betaIndolylalanineRefChem:589984DLalphaAmino3indolepropionic acid200-194-9DL-TrytophanRacemic TryptophanDL-TrytophaneH-DL-Trp-OHDL-tryptophaned,l-tryptophanDL-alpha-Amino-3-indolepropionic acidDL-.alpha.-Amino-3-indolepropionic acid(+/-)-alpha-Amino-3-indolepropionic acid

Open full PubChem record PubChem annotations 3D structure image

External database identifiers

ChEBI:CHEBI:27897
ChEMBL:CHEMBL484901
EPA DTXSID:DTXSID0021418
PubMed:22992800
PubMed:22760664
PubMed:22471215
PubMed:21962650
PubMed:21681321
PubMed:21591787
PubMed:21583152
PubMed:21221920
PubMed:21076782
PubMed:20537435
PubMed:20054706
PubMed:19800855

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

PubChem 2D chemical structure for CAS 73-22-3

CAS 73-22-3PubChem CID 6305

L-Tryptophan

L-tryptophan is the L-enantiomer of tryptophan. It has a role as a micronutrient, an antidepressant, a nutraceutical, a mouse metabolite, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolite, a plant metabolite, an Escherichia coli metabolite and a human metabolite. It is a L-alpha-amino acid, a tryptophan, an erythrose 4-phosphate/phosphoenolpyruvate family amino acid and a proteinogenic amino acid. It is a conjugate base of a L-tryptophanium. It is a conjugate acid of a L-tryptophanate. It is an enantiomer of a D-tryptophan. It is a tautomer of a L-tryptophan zwitterion. — ChEBI

IUPAC name: (2S)-2-amino-3-(1H-indol-3-yl)propanoic acid

Molecular formula: C11H12N2O2
Molecular weight: 204.22 g/mol
Exact mass: 204.089877630 Da
XLogP3: -1.1
Topological polar surface area: 79.1 Å²
Hydrogen-bond donors: 3
Hydrogen-bond acceptors: 3
Covalent units: 1
Defined stereocentres: 1

Also known as

tryptophanL-TryptophaneTryptophane(S)-TryptophantrofantryptacinArdeytropinPacitron

16 more reported names

Indole-3-alanineL-TryptofanL-TrpL-(-)-TryptophanL-beta-3-Indolylalanine3-Indol-3-ylalaninetriptofano(-)-Tryptophan1-beta-3-IndolylalanineTryptophan, L-1H-Indole-3-alanineTryptophanum1beta-3-Indolylalanine2-Amino-3-indolylpropanoic acidTryptophanum [Latin](L)-TRYPTOPHAN

Open full PubChem record PubChem annotations 3D structure image

External database identifiers

ChEBI:CHEBI:16828
ChEMBL:CHEMBL54976
EPA DTXSID:DTXSID5021419
PubMed:29968805
PubMed:26349500
PubMed:24826842
PubMed:23124343
PubMed:23114508
PubMed:23113206
PubMed:23109963
PubMed:23109825
PubMed:23109729
PubMed:23107720
PubMed:23100807
PubMed:23097747

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

Inventory details for TRYPTOPHAN

INCI name

TRYPTOPHAN

INN name

tryptophan

Description

2-Amino-3-indol-3-ylpropanoic acid

Record provenance

Inventory reference: 38801
Imported identity: TRYPTOPHAN
Source update: 15/10/2010

European Commission CosIng source notes

Annex records for TRYPTOPHAN

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Key data

CAS

54-12-6 / 73-22-3

200-194-9 / 200-795-6

Restriction

—

Function

ANTISTATIC: Preventing and/or reducing static electricity by neutralising electrical charge on surfaces.
FRAGRANCE: Imparting an odour or taste. Creating a perceivable pleasant smell and/or masking a bad smell.
HAIR CONDITIONING: Enhancing the appearance and feel of hair. Leaving the hair easy to comb, supple, soft and shiny and/or imparting volume, lightness, gloss, texture, etc.

Official EU ingredient-name evidence

The ingredient name exactly matches the official 2025 EU glossary of common ingredient names.

#29547 · TRYPTOPHAN

Ingredients with overlapping formulation functions

TRIMETHYLSILYLAMODIMETHICONEANTISTATIC, SKIN CONDITIONING, SKIN CONDITIONING - EMOLLIENT

TRIPABA PANTHENOLANTISTATIC, HAIR CONDITIONING, UV ABSORBER

TRISODIUM LAUROAMPHO PG-ACETATE CHLORIDE PHOSPHATEANTISTATIC, CLEANSING, HAIR CONDITIONING, SURFACTANT - CLEANSING, SURFACTANT - FOAM BOOSTING, SURFA…

TRITELEIA IXIOIDES EXTRACTANTIOXIDANT, ANTISTATIC, SKIN CONDITIONING, SKIN CONDITIONING - EMOLLIENT

TYROSINEANTISTATIC, FRAGRANCE, HAIR CONDITIONING, SKIN CONDITIONING

UNDECYLENAMIDE DEAANTI-SEBORRHEIC, ANTIMICROBIAL, ANTISTATIC, HAIR CONDITIONING, SURFACTANT - FOAM BOOSTING, VISCOSIT…

UNDECYLENAMIDE MEAANTIMICROBIAL, ANTISTATIC, HAIR CONDITIONING, SURFACTANT - CLEANSING, SURFACTANT - FOAM BOOSTING, V…

UNDECYLENAMIDOPROPYL BETAINEANTISTATIC, CLEANSING, HAIR CONDITIONING, SKIN CONDITIONING, SURFACTANT - CLEANSING, SURFACTANT - F…

Additional official and scientific sources

11 external databases to check this identity in

Each link searches that source for this identity. What each source is, and its legal weight

ECHA CHEM / Information on chemicals PubChem PUG REST EU Safety Gate cosmetic product alerts ECHA CHEM US EPA CompTox Cosmetic Ingredient Review safety assessments FDA Global Substance Registration System ILO/WHO International Chemical Safety Cards Japan NITE-CHRIP NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards OECD eChemPortal

How TRYPTOPHAN appears in the CosIng inventory

The CosIng inventory lists TRYPTOPHAN as a cosmetic ingredient and this page links it to 0 annex records. The inventory entry captures names and identifiers, while the annex records show where the substance is prohibited, restricted or positively listed in EU cosmetics law.

TRYPTOPHAN is also tagged with 3 cosmetic functions in the official data. Function labels describe intended use, but they do not replace regulatory review of linked annex records before formulation or labelling work.

Frequently asked questions

TRYPTOPHAN is listed in the EU CosIng ingredient inventory with no direct annex restriction records linked at this time. Absence of an annex link does not guarantee unrestricted use — always verify against the current official CosIng database before formulating.

According to the EU CosIng inventory, TRYPTOPHAN carries the following function designation(s):

CAS 54-12-6 / 73-22-3 may appear across multiple EU annex records. Viewing the CAS lookup page shows all Annex II–VI entries sharing this identifier, which is useful for identifying cross-annex regulatory status of the same chemical substance.

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Source note for TRYPTOPHAN

This page reproduces the CosIng inventory entry for TRYPTOPHAN from public European Commission cosmetic ingredient materials and shows linked identifiers even when no direct annex match is currently attached.

Use this inventory page to research TRYPTOPHAN and compare linked records, but verify restrictions and legal status against the current official source text and law before making regulatory decisions.

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