Ethyl p-hydroxybenzoate (ethylparaben) is the preservative the food industry lists as E214. In our table it is low risk: it takes 6 points off the additive subscore (about 2 of the 100).
- The key finding, from EFSA: E214 covered by the 0 to 10 mg/kg bw group ADI for methyl and ethyl p-hydroxybenzoates; the sex-hormone/reproductive concern that removed propylparaben did not apply to ethylparaben (10.2903/j.efsa.2004.83)
- No child flag. The class, and the points it costs, are the same for a child of any age.
- Where you meet it. None of the 10,000 packaged foods scanned most on Open Food Facts list it. Nine in ten of those foods are sold in Europe (counted 26 Sep 2026).
- 3 citations from EFSA, peer-reviewed research and the FDA, each one below.
What ethylparaben does to a score
A packaged food's additive subscore starts at 100 and loses points for each additive on the label; that subscore is a third of the final score. ethylparaben takes 6 points off the additive subscore (about 2 of the 100). Scan the pack in Sito and the score you get is the one for your own child's age, with this additive named in the reasons. How we score has the whole method.
See what is in your own cupboard
Scan a packaged food and Sito names the additives in it, then scores the product out of 100 for your child's age.
What the sources found
Every classification in our table comes from the citations below, and nothing else. Each finding is our one-line summary of what the source concluded, with the source and reference beside it.
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EFSA
10.2903/j.efsa.2004.83
E214 covered by the 0–10 mg/kg bw group ADI for methyl and ethyl p-hydroxybenzoates; the sex-hormone/reproductive concern that removed propylparaben did not apply to ethylparaben. -
Peer-reviewed
The controversies of parabens – an overview nowadays, Acta Pharm 2020; doi:10.2478/acph-2021-0001
Class-level endocrine-activity signals not reflected in regulatory status. -
FDA
eCFR search of 21 CFR — no GRAS/food-additive section for ethylparaben (methylparaben is §184.1490)
No US food authorisation located for ethylparaben.
Why this class
A credible adverse or precautionary signal that stops short of every Moderate and High criterion: peer-reviewed adverse findings not yet reflected in regulatory status, an exposure exceedance confined to high-percentile or single-event estimates, or a precautionary regulatory step short of those criteria, a reduced ADI, a data limitation noted without an adverse conclusion, a narrowed or conditioned authorisation, or a child-focused assessment or school-food law that covers the additive as part of a class.
Our confidence in this row's classification is medium. Medium or low does not mean the evidence is weak; it means something about the row is still being pinned down, usually a regulatory status confirmed from one source rather than two.
Questions parents ask
Is ethylparaben (E214) safe for kids?
Low risk. In Sito it takes 6 points off the additive subscore (about 2 of the 100). The finding we rely on: E214 covered by the 0 to 10 mg/kg bw group ADI for methyl and ethyl p-hydroxybenzoates; the sex-hormone/reproductive concern that removed propylparaben did not apply to ethylparaben (EFSA, 10.2903/j.efsa.2004.83).
What is E214?
E214 is the E number for Ethyl p-hydroxybenzoate, a preservative. It is also called ethylparaben. Open Food Facts tags it en:e214.
Next to it on the label
The E numbers either side of E214 in our table, then the closest preservatives by number.
- Sodium benzoate (E211), high risk, flagged for young children
- Potassium benzoate (E212), high risk, flagged for young children
- Calcium benzoate (E213), high risk, flagged for young children
- Sodium ethyl p-hydroxybenzoate (E215), low risk
- propylparaben (E216), high risk
- Sodium propyl p-hydroxybenzoate (E217), high risk