Hydroquinone
Drug ingredientCAS 123-31-9
This drug ingredient has classified U.S. production volumes. EPA withholds the number as confidential business information.
US productionCBI
Confidential Business Information. The EPA withholds this volume because publishing it could reveal the reporting company's trade secrets.
Import value, 2024$5M
Top sourceItaly 70%
At least one company claimed its 2023 production or import volume for this chemical as confidential, so EPA withholds it.
Why supply is unknownProduction is reported production, not a complete census of factories. US production volume is confidential. Production reporting year: 2023.
Where It Comes From
Customs basis: HS 290722 · exact
EPA reports by year
- 2023
- US production Confidential · Imports Confidential
- 2019
- US production Confidential · Imports Confidential
Source Countries
Country of origin for US imports, from Census customs data (2024).
IT 70%ItalyIN 14%IndiaMX 7%MexicoCN 5%ChinaGB 4%United Kingdom
- Japan
EPA-registered manufacturers (3)
Companies that report making or importing this chemical to the EPA. Registration is US-centric and does not indicate import origin.
Syensqo Sa · BE Belgium
Solvay
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber
Domestic parents -- activity not disclosed (3)
EPA records name a US company for this chemical but do not disclose whether the company made it here or imported it.
Aceto Us
Eastman Chemical
Tribute Energy
EPA-registered importers (2)
Companies that report making or importing this chemical to the EPA. Registration is US-centric and does not indicate import origin.
Syensqo Sa · BE Belgium
Agfa
24 FDA-registered drug labelers
Acella Pharmaceuticals, LLC
Akron Pharma Inc
AMCOL Health & Beauty Solutions, Inc. DBA
APNAR PHARMA LP
Asclemed USA Inc.
Bryant Ranch Prepack
Dermavance Pharmaceuticals
Deseret Biologicals, Inc.
Eastman Chemical Company
Galderma Laboratories, L.P.
Global Calcium Private Limited
LETCO MEDICAL, LLC
Marlex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Medilux Laboratories Pvt. Ltd.
Medisca Inc.
Nivagen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
O Skin Care LLC
Obagi Cosmeceuticals LLC
Professional Compounding Centers of America dba PCCA
SOHM, Inc.
Spectrum Laboratory Products, Inc.
Vivant Pharmaceuticals, LLC
Westminster Pharmaceuticals, LLC
ZO Skin Health, Inc.
Why It Matters
Sectors
HealthPlastics & RubberConsumer ProductsPaints & CoatingsCore Chemicals
Downstream Uses
Appears in 17 drug and cosmetic product listings (FDA).
- •Hydro-Q
- •ZO Skin Health Pigment Control Plus Blending Creme Hydroquinone
- •Hydroquinone 4%
- •Bio Cytotox Phase
- •NU-DERM Clear Skin Bleaching and Corrector
- •NU-DERM Blender Skin Lightener and Blending
- •Obagi-C Rx system C-Clarifying Serum Normal TO oily SKIN Lightening Serum WITH Vitamin C
- •Obagi-C Rx system C-Therapy Night Skin Lightening with Vitamins C and E
Show all 17
- •Hydroquinone
- •NU-DERM Sunfader Skin Lightener with Sunscreen (SPF 15) PABA FREE
- •Hydroquinone cream
- •ZO Skin Health Pigment Control plus Brightening Creme Hydroquinone plus Vitamin C
- •Obagi C RX system C Clarifying Serum
- •ZO Skin Health Pigment Control Creme Hydroquinone
- •Olivia Quido Blemish Eraser
- •Vivant True Tone Forte
- •TRI-LUMA
FDA Shortage Status
Whether any manufacturer currently reports this drug as in shortage on the FDA Drug Shortages database. "Active Shortage" means at least one presentation has status "current."
No FDA shortage records
Industrial Uses
Used in 6 sectors as 6 functional roles.
- •Antioxidant in Rubber Product Manufacturing (100%)Processing—repackaging
- •Corrosion inhibitor in All Other Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing (100%)Processing as a reactant
- •Intermediate in All Other Basic Organic Chemical Manufacturing (100%)Processing as a reactant
- •Solvent in Paint and Coating Manufacturing (100%)Use—non-incorporative activities
- •Polymerization promoter in Plastics Material and Resin ManufacturingProcessing—incorporation into formulation, mixture, or reaction product
- •Photosensitive agent in Photographic Film, Paper, Plate, and Chemical ManufacturingProcessing—incorporation into formulation, mixture, or reaction product
Vendor Pricing
$0.06/gA2B Chem LLC
CountryUnited States
Pack$32.00 / 500 g
PurityNot recorded
Vendors16 available
Prices reflect listed pack sizes. Small research packs run far above bulk rates.
15 more vendors
| Vendor | Country Supplier country. Where available, shows shipping origin. When the supplier ships from a different country than where they are registered, both are shown. Most suppliers show registration country only. | $/g | Pack | Purity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AA BLOCKS | United States | $0.07 | 500 g | — |
| Sigma-Aldrich (Rush Stock) | Germany | $0.07 | 2 kg | 99% |
| Sigma-Aldrich | Germany | $0.07 | 2 kg | 99% |
| AK Scientific Specialized | United States | $0.12 | 500 g | 98% |
| AK Scientific, Inc. | United States | $0.16 | 500 g | 99% |
| Fluorochem UK | United Kingdom | $0.18 | 500 g | 99% |
| Combi-Blocks, Inc. | United States | $0.25 | 1 kg | 98% |
| AstaTech, Inc | United States | $0.39 | 100 g | 95% |
| Interbioscreen | Hong Kong | $10.00 | 10 g | 95% |
| Labotest KG | Germany | $217.80 | 5000 mg | 90% |
| Otava, Ltd. | Ukraine | $460.00 | 250 mg | 95% |
| ChemFaces | China | $1500.00 | 20 mg | 98% |
| Otava, Ltd. (2 weeks) | Ukraine | $2724.00 | 50 mg | 90% |
| Princeton BioMolecular Research (SC) | United States | $2900.00 | 100 mg | 90% |
| Vitas M Chemical Limited | Hong Kong | $3170.00 | 100 mg | 90% |
Chemical Identity
CAS123-31-9
PubChem CID785
DTXSIDDTXSID7020716
FormulaC6H6O2
Mol. Weight110.11 g/mol
SMILESC1=CC(=CC=C1O)O
Data Sources
- EPA CompTox (DSSTox) · DTXSID7020716Retrieved 2026-04-06
- PubChem · compound 785Retrieved 2026-04-06
- EPA Chemical Data ReportingReporting year: 2023 · Retrieved 2026-10-04
- FDA National Drug Code directoryRetrieved 2026-04-07
- US Census international tradeReporting year: 2024 · Retrieved 2026-10-04
Brief citations
Hydroquinone (CAS 123-31-9) https://chemicalindependence.com/chemical/123-31-9/ EPA CompTox (DSSTox): DTXSID7020716. Retrieved 2026-04-06. https://comptox.epa.gov/dashboard/chemical/details/DTXSID7020716 PubChem: 785. Retrieved 2026-04-06. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/785 EPA Chemical Data Reporting: 123-31-9. Reporting year: 2023. https://www.epa.gov/chemical-data-reporting FDA National Drug Code directory: CAS 123-31-9. Retrieved 2026-04-07. https://open.fda.gov/data/ndc/ US Census international trade: HS 290722 for CAS 123-31-9. Reporting year: 2024. https://usatrade.census.gov/