[5] Galaxolide is a mixture of stereoisomers and research has shown that it is in particular the (4S,7R) and (4S, 7S) forms that are the most powerful musk notes, with odor thresholds of 1 ng/L or less.

[7][8] However, the EPA's assessment of galaxolide found it to be moderately persistent and bioaccumulative and highly toxic to aquatic organisms.

[2] Galaxolide is classified as H410: "Very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects" under EU CLP classification rules.

Specifically, the GreenScreen assigned the Benchmark 1 score due to Galaxolide's high persistent, bioaccumulative and aquatic toxicity properties.

[19] Yet, studies show, it is commonly detected in rivers,[20] drinking water,[21] lake sediment[22] and fish tissue.

[2] Based on test data, the EU Scientific Committee for Consumer Safety included galaxolide in their proposal for extending the allergen information on cosmetic products as it claims to have seen only up to 100 individual cases worldwide in the last several decades who have reported irritation or allergic reactions to galaxolide through the use of cosmetic products.

[26] Extensive investigations into the presence of galaxolide in biomonitoring studies,[13][27] have been completed and evaluated by various regulatory authorities.

[7][28][29] In 2002, The Scientific Committee on Cosmetics and Non-Food Products (SCCNFP), the expert scientific board that advises the European Commission on human health issues, reviewed the human safety of galaxolide, when used in cosmetic products, and issued a final opinion on 17 September 2002.

[28] The SCCNFP stated that "...HHCB [galaxolide] can be safely used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetic products without any restriction for its use."

The EU published the final report for this study in 2008[7] and concluded that for all human health and environmental endpoints, "There is at present no need for further information and/or testing and no need for risk reduction measures".

This is a list of persistent, bioaccumulative toxics that have a documented effect on human health, wildlife and aquatic life.