Potassium sorbate is a mild preservative that is used in a variety of cosmetics and personal care products in order to extend the shelf-life by preventing microbial contamination, often as a paraben alternative.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviewed the safety of potassium sorbate and determined that this ingredient is Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS). The safety of potassium sorbate has been assessed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel. The CIR Expert Panel evaluated the scientific data and concluded that potassium sorbate was safe for use in cosmetics and personal care products.

Potassium Sorbate (Wikipedia)

Potassium sorbate is the potassium salt of sorbic acid, chemical formula CH₃CH=CH−CH=CH−CO₂K. It is a white salt that is very soluble in water (58.2% at 20 °C). It is primarily used as a food preservative (E number 202). Potassium sorbate is effective in a variety of applications including food, wine, and personal-care products. While sorbic acid occurs naturally in rowan berries, virtually all of the world's supply of sorbic acid, from which potassium sorbate is derived, is manufactured synthetically.

Potassium sorbate

Names
Preferred IUPAC name Potassium (2E,4E)-hexa-2,4-dienoate
Other names E202 Sorbistat-K Sorbistat potassium
Identifiers
CAS Number	24634-61-5 Y
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image
ChEBI	CHEBI:77868 N
ChemSpider	4445644 Y
ECHA InfoCard	100.042.145
E number	E202 (preservatives)
KEGG	D02411 Y
PubChem CID	23676745
UNII	1VPU26JZZ4 Y
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID7027835
InChI InChI=1S/C6H8O2.K/c1-2-3-4-5-6(7)8;/h2-5H,1H3,(H,7,8);/q;+1/p-1/b3-2+,5-4+; Y Key: CHHHXKFHOYLYRE-STWYSWDKSA-M Y InChI=1/C6H8O2.K/c1-2-3-4-5-6(7)8;/h2-5H,1H3,(H,7,8);/q;+1/p-1/b3-2+,5-4+; Key: CHHHXKFHOYLYRE-ZCSOUONQBI
SMILES [K+].[O-]C(=O)\C=C\C=C\C
Properties
Chemical formula	C6H7KO2
Molar mass	150.218 g·mol−1
Appearance	White crystals
Odor	Yes
Density	1.363 g/cm3
Melting point	270 °C (518 °F; 543 K) decomposes
Solubility in water	58.5 g/100 mL (100 °C)
Solubility in other solvents	Soluble in ethanol, propylene glycol Slightly soluble in acetone Very slightly soluble in chloroform, corn oil, ether Insoluble in benzene
Hazards
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)	2 1 0
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC):
LD50 (median dose)	4340 mg/kg (oral, rat)
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). N verify (what is YN ?) Infobox references