3,4-Dihydroxybenzoic Acid
A naturally occurring phenolic compound with antioxidant properties.
No policy
No HigherBar policy on this ingredient.
Approved in 3 of 7 tracked registries, no published record in 4.
Also known as protocatechuic acid, this compound occurs naturally in many plants. It functions as an antioxidant in food formulations and has been studied for potential health-related applications.
What each registry publishes about 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid.
Every row comes from a published regulator source, linked so you can read it yourself. "Prohibited" means a regulator has affirmatively banned it; "not authorized" means it has never been cleared for that use there. The two are not the same thing, so we never collapse them.
Approved in 3 of 7 tracked registries, no published record in 4. Last verified Oct 1, 2026.
| Registry | Status | Published record |
|---|---|---|
| United States (FDA) | Approvedgras | Technical effect: FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT |
| European Union (EFSA) | Approvedflavor | |
| United Kingdom (FSA) | Approvedflavor | |
| Codex Alimentarius (JECFA) | No published data | Our sources hold no evidenced record here. That is not a clearance and not a ban. |
| Japan (CAA) | No published data | Our sources hold no evidenced record here. That is not a clearance and not a ban. |
| Australia & New Zealand (FSANZ) | No published data | Our sources hold no evidenced record here. That is not a clearance and not a ban. |
| Canada (Health Canada) | No published data | Our sources hold no evidenced record here. That is not a clearance and not a ban. |
We publish only evidenced regulatory rows, each with its source. Coverage is uneven across registries, and a missing row is reported as missing.
Check a whole label, not just one ingredient.
Paste a product's full ingredient list and get this same record for every ingredient we can identify, plus an honest "not recognized" for the rest.