Caprylohydroxamic Acid
AKA “OCTANOHYDROXAMIC ACID, N-Hydroxyoctanamide, Octanamide, Caprylhydroxamic acid, Octanoylhydroxamic acid, RefChem:167792”
Ingredient Facts
Caprylohydroxamic acid
AKA: OCTANOHYDROXAMIC ACID, N-Hydroxyoctanamide, Octanamide, Caprylhydroxamic acid, Octanoylhydroxamic acid, RefChem:167792
Synthetic · Antimicrobial · EWG: 5
Synthetic
Preservative
Chelating Agent
Clean
Synthetic fragrance component that adds subtle scent notes to beauty products.
Formula
C8H17NO2
Mol. Weight
159.23
CAS #
7377-03-9
Form
Liquid
State
Liquid
See origin →
Functions
Preservative
Keeps your product from growing bacteria, mold, or yeast. Without these, that jar of cream becomes a petri dish in about a week.
Antimicrobial
Keeps your product from growing bacteria, mold, or yeast. Without these, that jar of cream becomes a petri dish in about a week.
Chelating
Grabs onto metal ions in water that would destabilize the formula. Keeps your product from going bad or changing color.
Metal Chelating Agent
Grabs onto metal ions in water that would destabilize the formula. Keeps your product from going bad or changing color.
Provides scent
Skin Types
●all-skin-types
Take the Skin ID quiz to see if this matches your skinMelanin-Rich Skin
Suitable
An epidemic of allergic contact dermatitis caused by a new allergen, caprylhydroxamic acid, in moisturizers.
Ackermann L, Virtanen H, Korhonen L, Laukkanen A, Huilaja L et al.
Contact dermatitis, 2017
An epidemic of allergic contact dermatitis caused by a new allergen, caprylhydroxamic acid, in moisturizers.
Ackermann L, Virtanen H, Korhonen L, Laukkanen A, Huilaja L et al.
Contact dermatitis, 2017
Safety Assessment of Caprylhydroxamic Acid as Used in Cosmetics
Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel
International Journal of Toxicology
Caprylohydroxamic Acid
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
Verified Feb 2026
Data: PubChem · CosIng · EWG