Baby Safety / Compounds / gamma-Butyrolactone

Is gamma-Butyrolactone safe for babies and kids?

Low risk for kids

(Babies-specific data is limited; this page draws from human adult context.) gamma-Butyrolactone poses low risk to adults under normal use conditions.

What is gamma-butyrolactone?

The IUPAC name is oxolan-2-one.

Also known as: oxolan-2-one, GBL, solvent, BUTYROLACTONE.

IUPAC name
oxolan-2-one
CAS number
96-48-0
Molecular formula
C4H6O2
Molecular weight
86.09 g/mol
SMILES
C1CC(=O)OC1
PubChem CID
7302

Risk for babies

Low risk

gamma-Butyrolactone poses low risk to adults under normal use conditions.

Regulatory consensus

2 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified gamma-Butyrolactone. The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
IFRA——Controlled substance - metabolizes to GHB (drug precursor)
EU——Controlled substance - metabolizes to GHB (drug precursor)

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where kids encounter gamma-butyrolactone

  • Perfume
  • Personal Care

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to gamma-Butyrolactone:

  • Fragrance-free product formulations
    Trade-offs: Eliminates allergen risk entirely; consumer acceptance varies (some associate scent with cleanliness/efficacy); growing market segment; regulatory advantage in EU (no IFRA compliance needed).
    Relative cost: Lower (ingredient elimination)
  • Essential oil-free synthetic fragrance blends with established safety profiles
    Trade-offs: Allows scent without specific natural allergens; synthetic molecules can be individually safety-tested; some synthetics have their own sensitization profiles; cost comparable to natural blends.
    Relative cost: Lower (ingredient elimination)
  • Encapsulated fragrance technologies (reduced dermal contact)
    Trade-offs: Reduces dermal contact by 60-90% via polymer shell release mechanism; higher formulation cost; may alter scent perception (delayed release); shell material itself requires safety assessment.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • Naturally-derived isolates at IFRA-compliant concentrations
    Trade-offs: Alternative fragrance ingredient; individual safety profile should be assessed per IFRA standards; sensitization potential varies by compound; patch testing recommended for sensitive individuals.
    Relative cost: 2-5× conventional

Frequently asked questions

No FAQ entries generated.

See gamma-Butyrolactone in the baby app

Look up products containing gamma-butyrolactone, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in baby View raw API data

Sources (1)
  1. ATSDR Toxicological Profile — CAS 96-48-0 — reference

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →