Diethyl phthalate (CAS 84-66-2), universally abbreviated as DEP, is the C2 member of the ortho-phthalate ester family: the diethyl ester of phthalic acid, with the molecular formula C₁₂H₁₄O₄ and a molecular weight of 222.24 g/mol. It presents as a clear, colourless, essentially odourless oily liquid with a boiling point of approximately 295 °C, a density of 1.12 g/cm³, and miscibility with ethanol, ether, acetone, benzene and most organic solvents, while remaining only slightly soluble in water. Its commercial identity is defined by a regulatory bifurcation that is routinely mishandled in procurement decisions. On the one side, DEP is not one of the “restricted phthalates.” It carries no REACH Annex XVII entry 51 or 52 restriction, is not on the SVHC Candidate List, and is not subject to Annex XIV authorisation. It is not on the EU Cosmetics Regulation Annex II prohibited list, unlike DEHP, DBP, BBP and DnOP. It remains one of the eight ortho-phthalates still authorised by the U.S. FDA as a food-contact plasticizer after the May 2022 final rule, under the prior-sanction provision at 21 CFR 181.27. On the other side, DEP is flagged as a suspected endocrine disruptor in ECHA’s CoRAP substance justification and appears on the SIN (Substitute It Now) List, and CLP notifications include Acute Tox. 3 (H331) and STOT RE 2 (H373) alongside the harmonised Aquatic Chronic 2 (H411) classification. That combination—permitted by the letter of the restriction regimes, but increasingly questioned by the toxicological literature and by downstream brand owners—creates a market in which DEP remains technically usable in fragrance, cellulose ester and certain industrial applications, but where the supplier’s ability to document identity, purity and regulatory status lot by lot is the actual qualification. The market sizing reflects a mature, bifurcated product rather than a growth commodity: one research scope values global DEP at USD 153.58 million in 2025, rising to USD 159.52 million in 2026 at a 4.3% CAGR to USD 233.98 million by 2035; a broader scope places the 2025 market at USD 950 million, reaching USD 1.2 billion by 2030 at 3.4%; and a still wider plasticizer-inclusive scope suggests USD 2.23 billion in 2025 growing to USD 3.42 billion by 2033 at 5.5%. The divergence is scope definition, not disagreement on direction. DEP is a specialty ester whose future depends on fragrance fixative demand, cellulose acetate film and moulding powder production, and ethanol denaturation, and whose value depends on the supplier’s ability to separate DEP from the restricted homologues in the buyer’s compliance file.
Core Application Fields and Demand Architecture
DEP demand concentrates in four functional arenas where its odourlessness, solvency, fixative properties and cellulose-ester compatibility deliver performance that the restricted phthalates can no longer legally provide and that non-phthalate alternatives cannot match at equivalent cost and sensory neutrality: fragrance and personal care, cellulose ester plastics and films, ethanol denaturation and specialty solvents, and industrial plasticizer and carrier applications.
In fragrance and personal care, DEP is the most common cosmetic phthalate and remains widely used in fragrance compositions despite the broader phthalate debate. It functions as a fixative and carrier in perfumes, colognes, lotions, nail polishes, sprays and other personal-care formulations, where its odourlessness and compatibility with fragrance oils allow it to extend the longevity of volatile top notes without contributing a competing scent. The CIR safety assessment records a maximum concentration of use of 0.1–0.15% in the cosmetic categories surveyed in 2025. The specification logic here is purity and odour neutrality: a DEP lot that carries a residual ester odour or a colour body will compromise the fragrance it is meant to fix, and the perfumer discovers the problem after the compound is blended, not in incoming QC. This segment accounts for 30–35% of DEP application demand in the broader market scope, and personal care as an end-use industry dominates with a 40–45% share.
In cellulose ester plastics and films, DEP functions as a plasticizer and solvent for cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate-butyrate and cellulose nitrate, used in films, varnishes, transparencies, moulding powders and select coating systems. The distinction from PVC plasticizers is critical: DEP’s C2 ester arms are not designed to solvate flexible PVC, and the restrictions that apply to DEHP, DBP, BBP and DIBP were written for the PVC plasticizers, which is why DEP sits outside Annex XVII entry 51/52. The specification logic here is compatibility and colour: a DEP lot with high volatility or colour bodies will produce hazy films or dimensional instability, and the cellulose-ester converter discovers the defect after casting.
In ethanol denaturation and specialty solvents, DEP serves as a denaturant in specially denatured alcohols (SDA 39-B and 39-C), a camphor substitute, a solvent in mosquito-repellent formulations, a plasticizer in solid rocket propellants and a wetting agent. The denaturation application is specifically for cosmetic and toiletry alcohols, where DEP’s compatibility with fragrance ingredients and its fixative properties make it convenient as both denaturant and perfume fixative at a minimum inclusion level of 1%. These applications are small in absolute volume but specification-intensive, and they value DEP’s combination of odour neutrality, high flash point and broad compatibility.
In industrial plasticizer and carrier applications, DEP competes in cost-sensitive segments where performance requirements are moderate. It is used as a surface lubricant in food and pharmaceutical packaging, a detergent base, an aerosol-spray component and a carrier in agrochemical and specialty formulations. The broader plasticizer scope identifies construction as the largest end-use at 30–35% of demand, followed by automotive, electronics and packaging, although DEP’s specific share in these segments is constrained by substitution pressure from non-phthalate alternatives and by the availability of lower-cost plasticizers.
Regulatory Profile: Outside the Restriction Perimeter, Inside the Endocrine-Disruptor Debate, and Inconsistently Documented
DEP’s regulatory position is the single most consequential fact for buyers, and it is the fact most frequently reduced to a misleading shorthand. DEP is not restricted under REACH Annex XVII, not an SVHC, and not subject to authorisation. It is permitted in EU cosmetics and FDA-authorised for food-contact plasticizer use. But it carries suspected endocrine-disruptor flags in ECHA’s CoRAP justification and on the SIN List, and its CLP notification profile includes Acute Tox. 3 (H331), STOT RE 2 (H373) and Aquatic Chronic 2 (H411). The practical result is a substance that is legally usable in more applications than DEHP or DBP, but that faces increasing procurement scrutiny, brand-owner restrictions and generic phthalate screening that cannot distinguish DEP from its restricted relatives.
The EU REACH position is the clearest part of the picture. DEP is registered under REACH with EC number 201-550-6. It is not listed on the Candidate List, not listed in Annex XIV, and not restricted under Annex XVII entries 51 or 52, which cover DEHP, DBP, BBP, DIBP and DnOP. The REACH registration dossier is active, and the substance is not subject to the authorisation regime. That position has been stable through 2026, and it is the basis on which DEP continues to be supplied into fragrance and cellulose-ester applications in Europe.
The EU food-contact and cosmetics position is more nuanced. DEP is not listed in Annex I of Regulation (EU) No 10/2011, so it is not authorised for EU food-contact plastic applications. In cosmetics, DEP is not on Annex II (the prohibited list), and it is permitted under Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009. The CIR Expert Panel’s safety assessment supports its use at the low concentrations recorded in the 2025 concentration-of-use survey, and the EU scientific committees have not imposed a cosmetics ban on DEP comparable to the bans on DEHP, DBP and BBP.
The U.S. position is more permissive on food contact than the EU. DEP is one of the eight ortho-phthalates still authorised as a food-contact plasticizer after the FDA’s May 2022 final rule, under the prior-sanction provision at 21 CFR 181.27. The U.S. TSCA inventory status is not consistently recorded in public regulatory summaries, and buyers with U.S.-facing programmes should obtain a direct, lot-specific TSCA statement from the supplier rather than relying on a catalogue field. California Proposition 65 listing is likewise not consistently recorded in the available regulatory data.
The hazard classification is where the endocrine-disruptor debate enters the commercial file. DEP does not carry a harmonised CMR classification under CLP, which is why it is not captured by the Annex XVII entry 51/52 cluster. But ECHA’s CoRAP justification lists “suspected endocrine disruptor” as a basis for substance evaluation, and the SIN List identifies DEP as an endocrine disruptor. Some CLP notifications include Acute Tox. 3 (H331) and STOT RE 2 (H373), while other SDS documentation classifies the substance as “not dangerous” under the older Dangerous Substances Directive. The harmonised environmental classification is Aquatic Chronic 2 (H411). The commercial consequence is that a buyer’s compliance team can find both a “permitted” and a “suspected endocrine disruptor” characterisation in the same regulatory universe, and the supplier’s ability to explain the distinction—and to provide DEP-specific identity data rather than a generic phthalate SDS—is what makes the material qualifiable.
The Russian and EAEU position is governed by sanitary-hygienic norms rather than by REACH. The working-area maximum permissible concentration (ПДК р.з.) for DEP is 0.5 mg/m³ as a vapour-and-aerosol mixture, with a maximum single limit of 1.5 mg/m³, and the substance is assigned hazard class 2 (highly hazardous) . The migration limit for DEP in food-contact materials under the Customs Union decision is 0.01 mg/L against a hygienic norm of 3.0 mg/L. Imported material must be accompanied by a Russian-language SDS that states the 0.5 mg/m³ limit and the required engineering controls, and downstream food-contact and cosmetic users must be able to document compliance with the migration norm.
Global Supply Structure and Manufacturer Differentiation
Global DEP supply is moderately concentrated at the fragrance-grade and cellulose-ester-grade end and more fragmented at the industrial-plasticizer end. The producer landscape includes Polynt, KLJ Group, DAIHACHI Chemical Industry and I G Petrochemicals Limited, which collectively hold a 45–50% market share, alongside BASF, Thirumalai Chemicals, Ernesto Ventós, Hanwha Solutions, LobaChemie, Spectrum Chemical and a cohort of Chinese producers serving export markets. Asia-Pacific is the largest regional market with a 45–50% share, followed by North America at 20–25% and Europe at 15–20%. High-purity DEP, used in medical and pharmaceutical applications, is growing at a 4.5–5% CAGR, faster than the standard grade, and esterification holds a 60–65% share of the production-process split.
Differentiation operates on three axes that matter more to a fragrance house or a cellulose-film converter than the headline assay. The first is odour neutrality and purity for fragrance use. DEP’s commercial value in fragrance depends on its being essentially odourless; a lot that carries a residual ester or acidic note will alter the fragrance it is meant to fix. A supplier that characterises odour against a retained reference and controls residual acidity and volatile impurities lot by lot can serve fine-fragrance accounts that a technical-grade supplier cannot. The second axis is DEP-specific identity and regulatory documentation. Because DEP sits outside the restricted phthalate perimeter but inside the endocrine-disruptor debate, the supplier must be able to demonstrate that the lot is CAS 84-66-2 and not a restricted homologue, and must provide a clear statement of the REACH Annex XVII, SVHC, FDA food-contact and EU cosmetics positions applicable to the buyer’s market. A generic “phthalate” certificate without CAS-specific identity data creates a qualification risk that the buyer discovers during a customer audit. The third axis is Russian-language documentation and sanitary-limit support for EAEU destinations. DEP is import-dependent in Russia at fragrance and high-purity grade, and the 0.5 mg/m³ working-area limit and 0.01 mg/L migration norm must be addressed in the Russian-language SDS and in the buyer’s food-contact or cosmetic compliance file. A supplier that provides that package reduces the qualification and customs burden for Russian and EAEU buyers.
Regional Demand Dynamics
DEP demand follows the geography of fragrance creation, cellulose ester film production, cosmetic manufacturing and ethanol denaturation rather than the geography of phthalic anhydride or ethanol feedstock.
Asia-Pacific is the largest and most dynamic region, with a 45–50% share of global demand, driven by the expansion of personal-care manufacturing, cellulose ester production and industrial plasticizer consumption in China and India. The region is also the dominant supply base for standard-grade DEP, and its export flows shape the pricing that fragrance houses and converters see in Europe and North America. Demand is bifurcated between cost-sensitive industrial plasticizer applications and specification-sensitive fragrance and cellulose-ester applications, and the documentation bar is rising as export-oriented personal-care manufacturers align with European and North American customer expectations.
North America holds a 20–25% share, anchored in fragrance and personal-care manufacturing, cellulose ester films and specialty coatings, and ethanol denaturation for cosmetic alcohols. The U.S. regulatory position—food-contact authorisation retained, but TSCA status inconsistently documented—means that buyers in the region place a premium on suppliers that can provide a current, lot-specific regulatory statement rather than a catalogue claim.
Europe accounts for 15–20% of the market, and it is the region where the gap between DEP’s legal permissibility and its reputational vulnerability is widest. DEP is not restricted under REACH and is permitted in cosmetics, but the endocrine-disruptor flag and the general phthalate scrutiny mean that fragrance houses and brand owners increasingly require a documented rationale for DEP use, or a transition to non-phthalate alternatives in consumer-facing products. The result is a market that remains viable at the high-purity and fragrance-fixative end but that is progressively narrowing in consumer-adjacent applications.
Russia and the EAEU form an import-dependent contour with a specific documentation requirement. DEP is supplied for fragrance, cosmetic and cellulose-ester applications, and there is no large-scale domestic production at fragrance or high-purity grade. The 0.5 mg/m³ working-area limit and hazard class 2 designation mean that industrial-hygiene documentation is non-negotiable, and the 0.01 mg/L migration limit for food-contact materials means that downstream users in packaging and food-adjacent applications must be able to trace the DEP lot to a compliant specification. Chinese producers are a significant source of imported DEP into Russia, and the practical qualification task for Russian buyers is to verify CAS-specific identity, purity and the Russian-language SDS against those limits.
Future Outlook and Strategic Imperatives
The DEP market will not grow like a commodity plasticizer. The narrower market scopes point to mid-single-digit growth from a small base, while the broader plasticizer scope suggests 3.4% CAGR to 2030, driven by fragrance fixative demand, cellulose ester film and moulding powder production, and ethanol denaturation. The quality of the opportunity is therefore not in volume expansion but in defending the specific functions DEP alone performs—odourless fragrance fixation and cellulose acetate plasticization—and in documenting the regulatory distinction that keeps DEP usable where its homologues are not.
Three structural forces will shape competition. First, the endocrine-disruptor debate will continue to narrow the consumer-facing perimeter. DEP remains legally permitted in EU cosmetics and U.S. food contact, but brand-owner precaution and generic phthalate screening are already pushing some consumer-facing formulators toward non-phthalate alternatives. Suppliers that can support a documented rationale for DEP use, and that can provide the CAS-specific identity and purity data that a compliance review requires, will retain the fragrance-house and cellulose-ester accounts that still value DEP’s performance. Second, high-purity DEP will outpace standard grade. The pharmaceutical and medical segment is growing at 4.5–5% CAGR, and fragrance-grade material commands a premium for odour neutrality and lot consistency. Suppliers that can hold high-purity specifications across lots will capture the value that remains. Third, Russian-language documentation and EAEU sanitary compliance will be a qualification gate in the import-dependent contour. The 0.5 mg/m³ working-area limit, hazard class 2 and 0.01 mg/L migration norm are not optional footnotes; they are conditions of entry for fragrance and food-contact-adjacent applications in Russia and the EAEU.
For Russian and EAEU buyers, the strategic implication is that DEP procurement should be treated as an identity-and-sanitary-documentation partnership rather than a price comparison. A lot that cannot be shown to be CAS 84-66-2—or that carries an off-odour or an acidity excursion—does not simply cost the price of the drum; it can compromise a fragrance compound or haze a cellulose film. A shipment without a Russian-language SDS stating the 0.5 mg/m³ limit, or without a migration-compliance statement for food-contact use, can be delayed at customs or rejected by a downstream customer’s compliance team. The lowest-risk supplier is the one that can match the grade to the application, document purity and odour lot by lot, provide a clear statement of the DEP-specific regulatory distinction, and support the buyer with Russian-language documentation and reliable logistics—the position XINCHEM occupies for DEP in the Russian and EAEU market.
Shanghai XinChem Co., Ltd. (XinChem)
As a world-leading supplier of organic chemicals, Shanghai XinChem Co., Ltd. (XinChem) offers diethyl phthalate (CAS 84-66-2, DEP) in ≥99.5% fragrance-grade and cellulose-ester-grade specifications, serving fragrance houses, personal-care manufacturers, cellulose acetate film and moulding powder producers, ethanol denaturation operations, and specialty industrial formulators. Our DEP is supplied with controlled odour and acidity, lot-specific GC identity data, and the regulatory documentation—including a clear statement of the REACH Annex XVII clearance, the retained U.S. FDA food-contact authorisation, the EU cosmetics permissibility, and the Russian 0.5 mg/m³ working-area and 0.01 mg/L migration limits—that DEP-specific qualification and cross-border supply require.
Technical and Quality Advantages
Odour Neutrality and Purity Control: DEP is supplied with odour characterised against a retained reference and with residual acidity and volatile impurities controlled to the fragrance-grade specification. Because DEP’s value in fragrance depends on its being essentially odourless, lot-level sensory and analytical data is the specification that determines whether the material fixes a fragrance or alters it.
DEP-Specific Identity Documentation: Because DEP sits outside the restricted phthalate perimeter, XinChem provides a certificate of analysis that explicitly identifies the material as CAS 84-66-2 and reports purity by GC, rather than a generic “phthalate” specification. This identity data supports the buyer’s own compliance assessment and reduces the risk of misclassification by generic phthalate screening.
Regulatory Distinction and Sanitary Documentation: Safety data sheets are available in Russian and English, with documentation covering the Aquatic Chronic 2 (H411) classification, the REACH Annex XVII non-restriction, the retained FDA 21 CFR 181.27 food-contact authorisation, the EU cosmetics permissibility, and the Russian working-area limit of 0.5 mg/m³ (hazard class 2) alongside the 0.01 mg/L migration norm. XinChem provides a written statement of the regulatory distinction between DEP and the restricted phthalates, so that the buyer’s compliance team can document the basis for use.
High-Purity Grade and Supply Reliability: DEP is available at ≥99.5% purity across drum, IBC and ISO tank quantities, with scheduling structured to accommodate both qualification volumes and recurring contract quantities. The high-purity grade is supplied from a consistent production and analytical platform to maintain lot-to-lot odour and purity consistency in fragrance and cellulose-ester applications where those attributes are decisive.
Packaging and Logistics Flexibility
DEP is available in 200 kg drums and IBCs for mid-scale fragrance, personal-care and cellulose-ester operations, and in ISO tanks and bulk quantities for larger industrial consumers. For Russia and EAEU destinations, XinChem arranges logistics with Russian-language SDS and certificate-of-analysis support, reducing clearance friction for a specialty ester that is imported rather than domestically produced at fragrance grade, and for which the documentation of DEP identity and sanitary compliance is a condition of downstream qualification.
Application Support and Supply Reliability
XinChem’s technical team assists with grade selection for fragrance fixation, personal-care formulation, cellulose acetate film and moulding powder production, ethanol denaturation and specialty solvent applications, and with the odour, acidity and DEP-identity documentation that fragrance-grade and cellulose-ester qualification demands. Supply schedules accommodate both qualification orders and contract volumes, with stock and logistics planning aligned to the phthalic anhydride and ethanol feedstock dynamics and the trade flows that shape DEP availability.
Why Choose XinChem
Expertise: Deep experience in ortho-phthalate esters and fragrance-fixative chemistry, with application knowledge spanning fine fragrance, personal care, cellulose ester films and ethanol denaturation.
Consistency: Control of odour, acidity and purity against fragrance-grade and cellulose-ester-grade specifications—the parameters that determine whether DEP fixes a fragrance or competes with it, and whether a cellulose film casts cleanly or hazes.
Compliance Readiness: Documentation structured around the DEP-specific regulatory distinction—REACH Annex XVII unrestricted, FDA food-contact authorised, EU cosmetics permitted, but endocrine-disruptor flagged—with Russian-language SDS, lot-level GC identity data and the 0.5 mg/m³ / 0.01 mg/L sanitary limits.
Responsiveness: Direct technical and commercial access, with order structures from qualification volumes to bulk and contract supply.
Contact us now to discuss your diethyl phthalate requirements and request a specification sheet or qualification sample.
Website: www.xinchem.com
Email: sales1@xinchem.com
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Post time: Nov-11-2026