Ingredient Index · E952

Is Cyclamate banned in Europe?

Banned in US only

Reversed case. Cyclamate, an artificial sweetener, has been banned in the US since 1969. The EU permits it as E952, an approved sweetener with a defined acceptable daily intake.

E-number: E952CAS: 139-05-9 Also seen as: Cyclamate, Sodium cyclamate, Cyclamic acid, E952

What the EU does

Permitted. Cyclamate is an authorized sweetener in the EU, listed as E952, allowed in defined food categories such as some soft drinks, tabletop sweeteners, and reduced-calorie products, at capped levels and with an acceptable daily intake set by EFSA.

European regulators reviewed the same cancer question the US acted on and concluded that cyclamate could remain in use within limits, treating it as a dose-controlled additive rather than an unacceptable risk. It is approved in more than a hundred countries worldwide.

Citation Cyclamate (E952) authorized as a sweetener under Reg (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II; EFSA acceptable daily intake for cyclamate

What the US does

Banned. The FDA removed cyclamate from the US market in 1969 after a study linked a cyclamate-saccharin mixture to bladder tumors in rats. The ban was framed under the Delaney Clause, which barred any food additive shown to cause cancer in animals.

Later research cast doubt on the rat findings, and a petition to bring cyclamate back was filed, but the FDA has never reinstated it; the ban has now stood for more than fifty years. It is a mirror image of the more familiar pattern, with the US as the stricter regulator and Europe keeping the additive on a controlled basis.

Citation FDA ban on cyclamate (1969); 21 CFR 189.135 (cyclamate prohibited); FDA Commissioner decision, 45 FR 61474 (1980, denying reinstatement)

Products that commonly contain it

Because it is banned in the US, you would meet cyclamate mainly abroad, in:

European and other international diet soft drinks
Tabletop sweeteners sold outside the US
Reduced-calorie desserts and confectionery in the EU
Products from the many countries where cyclamate is approved

What to look for on a label

On an EU label cyclamate is easy to spot; in the US it should not appear:

Look for "E952", "cyclamate", or "cyclamic acid" on European labels
US diet products use other sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose, or saccharin
It is often blended with saccharin to balance flavor, a common European combination

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Frequently asked questions

Is cyclamate banned in Europe?

No. The EU permits cyclamate as the sweetener E952 in defined food categories at capped levels, with an acceptable daily intake.

Why is cyclamate banned in the US?

The FDA banned it in 1969 after a study linked a cyclamate-saccharin mix to bladder tumors in rats, acting under the Delaney Clause. It has never been reinstated.

Is cyclamate safe?

Regulators outside the US concluded it can be used within limits, and later research questioned the original rat findings. The US ban remains in place regardless.

Related ingredients

Primary sources

Last reviewed August 25, 2026 · How we assign statuses