YenzoWhat is sodium ethyl para-hydroxybenzoate (E215)?
It is sodium ethyl para-hydroxybenzoate, the sodium salt of ethylparaben (E 214), in the paraben group, used as a preservative.
E215Sodium ethyl p-hydroxybenzoate
E215 is sodium ethyl para-hydroxybenzoate, the sodium salt of ethylparaben (E214), from the paraben family. In food it holds back yeasts and moulds.
- Code
- E215 · INS 215
- Group
- Preservative
In VietnamNot on Vietnam's list of permitted additivesNot on Vietnam's list of permitted additives (Circular 24/2019); it may be used only in a product whose declaration is registered with the Vietnam Food Administration
Risk level on the Yenzo Scalelow?Based on EFSA's scientific assessment, 2004
How E215 appears on labels
IngredientsIllustrative example
Wheat flour, vegetable oil, salt, sugar, preservative (215), dried onion and garlic, pepper, natural colour (160a).
preservative (215)preservative 215E215INS 215
Questions about sodium ethyl p-hydroxybenzoate
Is sodium ethyl para-hydroxybenzoate harmful?
In 2004 EFSA set a full group ADI of 0–10 mg/kg body weight per day for the sum of the methyl and ethyl esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid and their sodium salts, based on a no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of 1000 mg/kg body weight per day for each compound in long-term studies and in studies on sex hormones and the male reproductive organs in juvenile rats.
Is E215 permitted in Vietnam?
Sodium ethyl para-hydroxybenzoate (INS 215) is not listed in Appendix 1 of Circular 24/2019/TT-BYT, the list of additives permitted in food, nor in Appendix 2B.
Other preservatives
E212Potassium benzoatelowE213Calcium benzoatelowE214Ethyl p-hydroxybenzoatelowE216Propyl p-hydroxybenzoatehighE217Sodium propyl p-hydroxybenzoatehighE218Methyl p-hydroxybenzoatelow
See all preservatives →Updated 21 October 2026