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E212Preservative

Potassium benzoate

What the research shows

Concerning

in animal and lab studies only

A preservative made from benzoic acid.

It stops mould, yeast and some bacteria growing in acidic foods and drinks.1

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
  • EU permitted

What research says

Animal and lab studies only

  • Concern

    Chromosome changes in blood2

    In lab studies, potassium benzoate raised chromosome changes in human blood cells but did not damage DNA.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.

What expert reviews concluded

Expert panels that weigh all the research. Shown for context: the signal at the top does not count them.

Regulatory status

Checked Sep 2026

Status reflects the named register on the date checked. It is not a safety rating. A country appears here once we've found this ingredient on its official list.

How we check

Products

The 6 most-scanned of 3,413 products on Open Food Facts that list potassium benzoate.

  • Diet Coke Coca-Cola · 355 ml 5 additives
  • Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Coca-Cola · 355 ml 5 additives
  • Coca-Cola Zero Coca-Cola · 355 ml 5 additives
  • Diet Coke Coke · 500 ml 7 additives
  • Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Coca-Cola · 20 fl oz 5 additives
  • Diet Coke Coca-Cola · 20 fl. oz (591 mL) 5 additives

References

  1. 1Potassium benzoate. Wikipedia. Accessed September 26, 2026. CC BY-SA 4.0.
  2. 2Zengin N, Yüzbaşıoğlu D, Unal F, Yılmaz S, Aksoy H. The evaluation of the genotoxicity of two food preservatives: sodium benzoate and potassium benzoate. Food Chem Toxicol. 2011;49(4):763-9. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2010.11.040