The Home Chemical Almanac
Every chemical, A to Z
Correct as of November 2026.
All 157 chemicals in the almanac on one list, with the badges, the worst fact and who should take care. The chapter has the full story, including the "fair to say" line that puts each worst fact in context.
At a glance: ☠ 28 on Australia's poison schedule · ⚠ 26 classed skin allergens · 🛢 45 made from a hazardous chemical · 💧 63 with a contaminant risk · 50 with no badge.
Chapter key: Ch 1 anionic surfactants · Ch 2 other surfactants · Ch 3 builders and water softeners · Ch 4 bleaches and brighteners · Ch 5 enzymes · Ch 6 preservatives · Ch 7 disinfectants · Ch 8 fragrance · Ch 9 solvents and hydrocarbons · Ch 10 acids and alkalis · Ch 11 the supporting cast
A
| Chemical | Badges | Worst fact | Take care if | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acetic acid | ☠ 🛢 💧 | Strong acid can perforate the oesophagus from 1 mL | children, eyes, stone | Ch 10 |
| Acid Blue 80 | — | Persistent in water | — | Ch 11 |
| Acid Green 25 | 🛢 💧 | EU safety committee assessed it only as a hair dye, not as a colourant | — | Ch 11 |
| Acid Red 33 | 🛢 💧 | US allows 250 times more aniline than in Yellow 5 | — | Ch 11 |
| Acrylic/maleic copolymer | 💧 | Doesn't readily biodegrade; mostly ends up in sewage sludge | — | Ch 3 |
| Alcohol ethoxylates | 🛢 💧 | Non-ionic surfactants are the "primary mechanism" of harm in capsule poisonings | eyes, small children | Ch 2 |
| Alkyl betaines | 💧 | Eye irritant at 10 to 30% | eyes | Ch 2 |
| Alkyl glucosides | — | "Plant-based" but still causes rare allergy | glucoside allergy | Ch 2 |
| Amine oxides | 💧 | Nitrosamines found in dishwashing liquids made with it (1982) | eyes | Ch 2 |
| Ammonia | ☠ | Mixed with bleach, it makes chloramine gas | asthma, mixing | Ch 4 |
| Ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS) | — | SLS by another name, same irritation | eczema, dry skin | Ch 1 |
| Amyl cinnamal | ⚠ | On the EU's most-reported allergen list | fragrance allergy | Ch 8 |
| Amylase | — | Highest allergy-antibody rate in a 2017 worker study (44%) | asthma, bakers | Ch 5 |
| Amylcinnamyl alcohol | — | On the EU's most-reported allergen list | fragrance allergy | Ch 8 |
| Anise alcohol | ⚠ | Officially classed as a skin allergen | fragrance allergy | Ch 8 |
| ATMP | 🛢 | Made with formaldehyde; adds phosphorus to rivers | eyes | Ch 3 |
B
| Chemical | Badges | Worst fact | Take care if | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benzalkonium chloride | ☠ 🛢 💧 | Linked to asthma in cleaners and nurses | asthma, frequent eye drops | Ch 6 |
| Benzisothiazolinone (BIT) | ⚠ | The rising allergy; not allowed as an EU cosmetic preservative | eczema | Ch 6 |
| Benzoic acid | 🛢 | EU: lung damage from repeated breathing in | handling the raw powder | Ch 6 |
| Benzyl alcohol | ⚠ 🛢 | Linked to newborn deaths from IV flush solutions | fragrance allergy | Ch 8 |
| Benzyl benzoate | — | Also a scabies treatment | fragrance allergy | Ch 8 |
| Benzyl cinnamate | — | Established human allergen | fragrance allergy | Ch 8 |
| Benzyl salicylate | ⚠ 🛢 | EU found signs of hormone activity | fragrance allergy | Ch 8 |
| Boric acid and borax | ☠ | 11 babies fed formula made with boric acid: 5 died | pregnancy, children, slime | Ch 11 |
| Brilliant Blue FCF | 💧 | Linked to 12 deaths in tube-fed patients (not proven) | very ill patients | Ch 11 |
| Bronopol | 💧 | Releases formaldehyde; Washington cosmetics ban 2027 | formaldehyde allergy | Ch 6 |
| Butane and propane | 💧 | Most common gas in Australian sniffing deaths | teenagers, flames | Ch 9 |
| 2-Butoxyethanol | 🛢 💧 | Swallowing 250–500 mL of 12% window cleaner caused a coma | sprays, skin, swallowing | Ch 9 |
| Butyl diglycol (DEGBE) | ☠ 🛢 | EU bans it at 3% or more in consumer aerosol cleaners | sprays, eyes | Ch 9 |
C
| Chemical | Badges | Worst fact | Take care if | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calcium chloride | — | Dry salt dissolves violently in water, with much heat | eyes | Ch 11 |
| Calcium hypochlorite | ☠ 💧 | Can explode if mixed with TCCA tablets and water | children, storage | Ch 4 |
| Cellulase | — | Older types weakened cotton, a maker's patent says | asthma | Ch 5 |
| Cetrimonium chloride | — | 5% solution caused corneal damage in rabbits | eyes | Ch 7 |
| Chlorocresol | ⚠ 💧 | Pure chemical corrosive to eyes and skin | eyes, skin | Ch 7 |
| Chlorophene | ⚠ 🛢 | Kidney tumours in mice; banned in EU cosmetics | bleach, eyes | Ch 7 |
| Chloroxylenol (PCMX) | ⚠ | A PCMX antiseptic: 10% of Hong Kong self-poisoning admissions | eyes, children | Ch 7 |
| Cinnamal | ⚠ 🛢 | Can rarely cause a severe allergic reaction | fragrance allergy | Ch 8 |
| Cinnamyl alcohol | ⚠ | Skin turns it into a stronger allergen | fragrance allergy | Ch 8 |
| Citral | ⚠ 💧 | Poisons Standard for household cleaners above 5% | fragrance allergy | Ch 8 |
| Citric acid | — | Irritates eyes; etches marble | stone benches, eyes | Ch 10 |
| Citronellol | 💧 | Turns into stronger allergens in air | fragrance allergy | Ch 8 |
| Cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) | 💧 | Allergen of the Year 2004 | eyelid or scalp eczema, eyes | Ch 2 |
| Cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine (CAHS) | 💧 | Severe eye irritant in rabbits | CAPB allergy | Ch 2 |
| Coumarin | 💧 | Can damage the liver in sensitive people | fragrance allergy | Ch 8 |
D
| Chemical | Badges | Worst fact | Take care if | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DDAC | — | Hospital workers exposed to quats reported 7.5 times the odds of diagnosed asthma | asthma, eyes | Ch 7 |
| DEEDMAC | 🛢 | 99% of company reports: skin and eye irritant | eyes | Ch 2 |
| DHTDMAC | — | Replaced in softeners in several countries in the 1990s over toxicity to aquatic life | — | Ch 2 |
| Diethyl phthalate (DEP) | — | Phthalate hidden inside "fragrance" | body lotions above 0.5% | Ch 8 |
| Dimethicone and silicone antifoam | 🛢 💧 | Its D4 impurity: "Suspected of damaging fertility" | — | Ch 11 |
| DMDM hydantoin | ⚠ 🛢 💧 | Built to release formaldehyde | formaldehyde allergy | Ch 6 |
| DPM | 🛢 | Absorbed through skin (Australian workplace "Sk" notation) | — | Ch 9 |
| DPnB | 🛢 | Damaged chromosomes in 3 of 5 lab-dish tests | — | Ch 9 |
| DTPMP | 🛢 | Can turn into glyphosate in lab tests with wastewater | eyes | Ch 3 |
E
| Chemical | Badges | Worst fact | Take care if | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EO/PO copolymers | 🛢 💧 | Spray mist caused lung injury in rats | sprays | Ch 2 |
| Ethanol | 💧 | 70,669 US child hand-sanitiser exposures in 4 years | children, flames | Ch 7 |
| Eugenol | ☠ ⚠ | Skin turns it into a stronger allergen | fragrance allergy | Ch 8 |
F
| Chemical | Badges | Worst fact | Take care if | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farnesol | ⚠ | Established human allergen | fragrance allergy | Ch 8 |
| Fluorescent brightener 220 | — | Only 1.2% broke down in 28 days | — | Ch 4 |
| Fluorescent brightener 28 | 🛢 | The same dye labs use to stain fungi | — | Ch 4 |
| FWA-1 | 🛢 💧 | Australia classes it toxic to aquatic life | — | Ch 4 |
| FWA-5 | 🛢 💧 | Not biodegradable; most ends up in sewage sludge | — | Ch 4 |
G
| Chemical | Badges | Worst fact | Take care if | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxolide (HHCB) | 🛢 | Found in breast milk | pregnancy, breastfeeding | Ch 8 |
| Geraniol | ⚠ 💧 | Top-ten fragrance allergen in Dutch and German clinics | fragrance allergy | Ch 8 |
| GLDA | 💧 | Only 56% of its carbon is bio-based | eyes | Ch 3 |
| Glycerin | 💧 | Glycerin with 24% DEG: 85 of 87 Haitian patients died | — | Ch 9 |
| Glycol stearate and glycol distearate | — | Mainly there for looks | — | Ch 11 |
| Guar gum | 💧 | Guar diet pills blocked 18 people's oesophagus | inhaling powder | Ch 11 |
H
| Chemical | Badges | Worst fact | Take care if | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HEDP | — | Barely breaks down in sewage treatment | eyes | Ch 3 |
| Hexyl cinnamal | ⚠ | A recommended standard skin allergen in lab tests | fragrance allergy | Ch 8 |
| HICC (Lyral) | ⚠ | Most-reported fragrance allergen since 1999; banned in EU | fragrance allergy | Ch 8 |
| Hydrochloric acid | ☠ 💧 | 60 mL of strong acid killed a woman | bleach, eyes, stone | Ch 10 |
| Hydrogen peroxide | ☠ | A toddler died after swallowing 3% (pharmacy-strength) peroxide | children; never drink it | Ch 4 |
| Hydrogenated castor oil | — | From the castor bean, whose ricin is highly toxic | — | Ch 11 |
| Hydroxycitronellal | ⚠ | Established human allergen, hundreds of cases | fragrance allergy | Ch 8 |
| Hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) | 🛢 | Made by reacting cellulose with ethylene oxide | — | Ch 11 |
I
| Chemical | Badges | Worst fact | Take care if | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isoeugenol | ⚠ | Rated a possible cause of cancer | fragrance allergy | Ch 8 |
| Alpha-isomethyl ionone | ⚠ | In over 1 in 5 scented products tested | fragrance allergy | Ch 8 |
| Isopropyl alcohol | — | About twice as toxic as ethanol if swallowed | children, flames | Ch 7 |
L
| Chemical | Badges | Worst fact | Take care if | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lactic acid | — | Australia classes it as causing serious eye damage | eyes, sun after skin use | Ch 10 |
| Lilial | ⚠ 💧 | Banned in EU cosmetics: may damage fertility | pregnancy, fragrance allergy | Ch 8 |
| Limonene | ⚠ 💧 | Oxidised, it's one of the commonest fragrance allergies | fragrance allergy, old products | Ch 8 |
| Linalool | ⚠ 💧 | Oxidised, it's one of the commonest fragrance allergies | fragrance allergy, old products | Ch 8 |
| Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) | 🛢 | Made from benzene; survives sewage digestion | — | Ch 1 |
| Lipase | — | Has caused asthma in detergent workers | asthma | Ch 5 |
M
| Chemical | Badges | Worst fact | Take care if | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mannanase | — | Classed in Australia as a breathing allergen | asthma | Ch 5 |
| Methylchloroisothiazolinone / methylisothiazolinone (CMIT/MIT) | ☠ ⚠ | Classed an allergen from just 0.0015% | MIT allergy | Ch 6 |
| Methylisothiazolinone (MIT) | ☠ ⚠ | Allergy hit "epidemic proportions" in parts of Europe | eczema, MIT allergy | Ch 6 |
| MGDA | 💧 | "Green" chelator; maker's patents use formaldehyde and cyanide | — | Ch 3 |
| Monoethanolamine | 🛢 💧 | Reacted in 3.8% of patients tested for suspected allergy | eczema, asthma | Ch 10 |
| Musk ketone | — | Suspected of causing cancer | — | Ch 8 |
| Musk xylene | — | Suspected cancer cause; classed as an explosive | — | Ch 8 |
N
| Chemical | Badges | Worst fact | Take care if | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE) | 🛢 💧 | Breakdown products in Australian sewage effluent at up to 25 times the safe level for aquatic life (combined risk score) | — | Ch 2 |
O
| Chemical | Badges | Worst fact | Take care if | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakmoss extract | 💧 | Contains two very potent allergens the EU banned from cosmetics | fragrance allergy | Ch 8 |
P
| Chemical | Badges | Worst fact | Take care if | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paradichlorobenzene (PDCB) | ☠ 🛢 💧 | Linked to lower lung function; banned in EU air fresheners | children, indoors | Ch 7 |
| Pectate lyase | — | Maker warns workers its dust can sensitise | asthma | Ch 5 |
| Peracetic acid | ☠ | Mixed with peroxide, a recognised cause of asthma | asthma, regular use | Ch 4 |
| Phenoxyethanol | 🛢 💧 | Officially a US hazardous air pollutant | eyes | Ch 6 |
| 2-Phenylphenol | ⚠ | Its sodium salt is possibly carcinogenic to humans | skin | Ch 7 |
| PnB | 🛢 | Moderately irritating to eyes and skin | eyes | Ch 9 |
| Polyethylene glycol (PEG) | 🛢 💧 | 37 reported cases of PEG allergy since 1977, some life-threatening | PEG allergy | Ch 11 |
| Polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) | 🛢 💧 | 72,947 US pod exposures in 6 years, 91.7% under 6 | small children, dementia | Ch 11 |
| Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) | 🛢 💧 | Under 10% broke down in 42 days | — | Ch 11 |
| Potassium hydroxide | ☠ 💧 | Burnt gullets can narrow years later | children, eyes | Ch 10 |
| Potassium sorbate | 🛢 💧 | One of the mildest: rare skin allergy | sorbic acid allergy | Ch 6 |
| Propylene glycol | 🛢 💧 | Named Allergen of the Year 2018 | eczema, newborn medicines | Ch 9 |
| Protease | — | 166 cases of enzyme asthma recorded at five UK factories | asthma, eyes, sprays | Ch 5 |
S
| Chemical | Badges | Worst fact | Take care if | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt | — | A thickening salt (magnesium sulfate, in a patent) can hold thickness roughly steady while the cleaner is diluted tenfold | — | Ch 11 |
| Secondary alkane sulfonate (SAS) | — | Concentrate caused lasting eye damage in a test | — | Ch 1 |
| Sodium and potassium cocoate | — | Pure sodium laurate irritated most volunteers' skin enough to stop the test | sensitive skin | Ch 2 |
| Sodium benzoate | 🛢 💧 | Can form benzene with vitamin C | chronic hives, asthma | Ch 6 |
| Sodium bicarbonate | — | In rare cases, after a big meal, it has burst stomachs | antacid overuse | Ch 10 |
| Sodium C14-16 olefin sulfonate (AOS) | 💧 | Japan: suspected of harming the unborn child | sensitive skin | Ch 1 |
| Sodium carbonate | — | Causes serious eye damage | children, eyes | Ch 10 |
| Sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) | — | 15 g a day in food made gut bacteria less diverse | — | Ch 11 |
| Sodium coco-sulfate | — | The "gentler" swap is rated harsher on skin | eczema, sensitive skin | Ch 1 |
| Sodium dichloroisocyanurate (NaDCC) | ☠ | Can cause serious eye damage | eyes, children | Ch 4 |
| Sodium formate and calcium formate | — | Calcium formate: "Causes serious eye damage" (company data) | eyes | Ch 11 |
| Sodium hydroxide | ☠ 💧 | 4 Queensland child deaths in 20 years, reported to the regulator | children, eyes | Ch 10 |
| Sodium hypochlorite | ☠ 💧 | 85,104 US chlorine/chloramine gas cases in 8 years | asthma, children, mixing | Ch 4 |
| Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) | 🛢 💧 | Can carry 1,4-dioxane, a possible carcinogen | sensitive eyes | Ch 1 |
| Sodium lauriminodipropionate | — | A 10% solution was corrosive to rabbit skin | — | Ch 2 |
| Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) | — | Scientists' go-to chemical for irritating skin | eczema, mouth ulcers | Ch 1 |
| Sodium metasilicate | ☠ | Causes severe burns; the strongest dishwasher powders were banned in 2006 | children | Ch 10 |
| Sodium oleate, potassium oleate, sodium stearate and sodium laurate | — | Most soaps are pH 9 to 12; higher pH was linked to more irritation | home soap-making | Ch 2 |
| Sodium palmate and sodium palm kernelate | — | Oil palm: 23% of Indonesian deforestation, 2001–2016 | — | Ch 2 |
| Sodium perborate | 🛢 | Banned from EU household detergents as toxic to reproduction | pregnant or trying | Ch 4 |
| Sodium percarbonate | ☠ | Strong powder can permanently damage eyes | children, eyes | Ch 4 |
| Sodium polyacrylate | 💧 | Doesn't readily biodegrade; mostly ends up in sewage sludge | — | Ch 3 |
| Sodium silicate and disodium disilicate | 💧 | A woman died within an hour of deliberately drinking 500 mL | eyes, children | Ch 3 |
| Sodium stannate | — | Schedule 5 poison in any non-cosmetic product | eyes | Ch 11 |
| Sodium tallowate | — | Swallowed bar soap: 2 deaths in 553 cases at a French poison centre, both people with dementia | dementia | Ch 2 |
| Sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) | — | Detergent phosphorus helped feed the 1991 Darling bloom | eyes | Ch 3 |
| Sodium xylene sulfonate | — | Hydrotropes up to 11.9% in rinse aids; irritates eyes | eyes | Ch 9 |
| Styrene/acrylates copolymer | 🛢 💧 | Starting chemical styrene is "probably carcinogenic" | — | Ch 11 |
| Sulfamic acid | ☠ | A poison at any strength in Australia | eyes, kettles, bleach | Ch 10 |
| Sunset Yellow FCF | 💧 | Same EU warning label | — | Ch 11 |
T
| Chemical | Badges | Worst fact | Take care if | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TAED | — | Reacts with oxygen bleach to make peracetic acid in the wash | — | Ch 4 |
| Tartrazine | 💧 | EU warning: "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children" | aspirin sensitivity | Ch 11 |
| TEA esterquat | 🛢 | Softener quats "can make them less absorbent" | towels, eyes | Ch 2 |
| Tetrachloroethylene (perc) | ☠ 🛢 💧 | US is banning it from all consumer products | dry-cleaned clothes, indoors | Ch 9 |
| Tetrasodium and tetrapotassium pyrophosphate | — | Can cause serious eye damage | eyes | Ch 3 |
| Tetrasodium EDTA | 🛢 💧 | Europe's highest-concentration man-made organic compound in rivers | eyes | Ch 3 |
| Thymol | — | Corrosive, despite the "botanical" label | eyes, skin | Ch 7 |
| Titanium dioxide | — | EU banned it from food in 2022 | inhaling powder | Ch 11 |
| Toluene | ☠ 💧 | "May damage fertility or the unborn child" | pregnancy, sniffing | Ch 9 |
| Tonalide (AHTN) | — | Found in breast milk | pregnancy, breastfeeding | Ch 8 |
| Treemoss extract | 💧 | Contains two very potent allergens the EU banned from cosmetics | fragrance allergy | Ch 8 |
| Trichloroethylene (TCE) | ☠ 🛢 💧 | Known to cause kidney cancer in humans | pregnancy, skin | Ch 9 |
| Trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA) | ☠ | A little water can make it release chlorine gas | storage | Ch 4 |
| Triclosan | ☠ 💧 | Banned from US antibacterial soaps in 2017 | — | Ch 7 |
| Triethyl citrate | — | Nil: approved as safe in food | — | Ch 8 |
| Trisodium NTA | 🛢 💧 | Possibly carcinogenic to humans | eyes | Ch 3 |
| Trisodium phosphate (TSP) | ☠ | Splashes have permanently clouded the cornea | eyes, skin | Ch 3 |
W
| Chemical | Badges | Worst fact | Take care if | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White mineral oil and petroleum distillates | ☠ 💧 | 284,085 US swallowings of hydrocarbons by under-20s, 34 deaths | young children | Ch 9 |
X
| Chemical | Badges | Worst fact | Take care if | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xanthan gum | — | 22 babies (21 premature) fed a xanthan thickener got NEC, 7 died (link not proven) | — | Ch 11 |
| Xylene | ☠ | Up to 95% in some US home maintenance and car products | indoors, children | Ch 9 |
Z
| Chemical | Badges | Worst fact | Take care if | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zeolite A | — | Dust inflames the lungs in animal tests | breathing dust | Ch 3 |
☠ Poison schedule (Australia) · ⚠ Officially classed skin allergen · 🛢 Made from a hazardous chemical · 💧 Contaminant risk