Polysorbate 60 (E 435)

Last reviewed October 19, 2026

In plain words: Polysorbate 60 (E 435) is an emulsifier that helps oil and water mix in foods like frostings and baked goods. It is a different substance from polysorbate 80.

What the evidence review says

Polysorbate 60 is an emulsifier that helps oil and water mix in foods like frostings and baked goods. Standard safety tests have not shown it damages genes or is linked with cancer, and regulators set an acceptable daily intake. Estimates for toddlers who eat a lot of these foods can come close to that level. Mouse studies that linked emulsifiers with gut inflammation used a different polysorbate (80), not this one.

Standard toxicology does not show genotoxicity, carcinogenicity, or developmental toxicity, and the group ADI is 25 mg/kg body weight per day. Two limited flags remain. Refined exposure for high-consuming toddlers can sit very close to that ADI, and reproductive studies are few. Separate mouse and microbiota experiments used polysorbate 80, not polysorbate 60, and reported low-grade inflammation and metabolic change. Those findings are not evidence that food levels of polysorbate 60 do the same thing.

• Source: EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS), EFSA J, 2015 · doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4152
• Source: Chassaing B et al., Nature, 2015 · doi:10.1038/nature14232

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This page is for general education. It is not medical advice and does not replace advice from your doctor, pediatrician, allergist or registered dietitian. Research changes; we review these pages when new evidence or rules come out. Last reviewed October 19, 2026.