Sodium anisate

Sodium anisate (CAS 536-45-8) is the sodium salt of anisic acid, also known as sodium p-anisate, sodium 4-methoxybenzoate, and sodium p-anisoate. It carries no assigned E-code and is not classified as a direct food additive in the EU, though it appears as a functional ingredient in cosmetic and pharmaceutical formulations.

In personal care products, sodium anisate acts as a preservative by disrupting microbial cell membranes, offering antimicrobial activity particularly effective against gram-positive bacteria and fungi at low concentrations. In cosmetic formulations it is frequently paired with other mild preservatives to achieve broad-spectrum protection while meeting consumer demand for synthetic-preservative-free labelling.

Sodium anisate is commercially available in powder form and is supplied under both cosmetic-grade and pharmaceutical-grade specifications. It falls under REACH registration requirements for EU market supply. Procurement quantities typically range from kilogram to metric-tonne scale depending on application volume and formulation batch size.