E-numbers / Antioxidants / E392
also: Extracts of rosemary · Rosmarinus officinalis extract
A natural antioxidant from rosemary leaves added to fat-containing foods to stop oils and fats going rancid.
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Water, Sugar, Coffee Extract, Coffee Concentrate (Brazilian and Colombian), Flavourings, Acidity Regulator (E500), Herb Extract (Rosemary Extract)
The international expert committee has set only a temporary daily limit, 0.3mg per kg of body weight, measured as its two active compounds, carnosic acid and carnosol.
777
of the 43,325 UK supermarket foods we checked declare E392 in their ingredients
That is 1.8%, counted by its code or its name.
Counted by NutraSafe from UK supermarket ingredient lists, September 2026. How we counted
Why it’s worth knowing. The international expert committee has set only a temporary daily limit, 0.3mg per kg of body weight, measured as its two active compounds, carnosic acid and carnosol. It is waiting for longer-term studies before setting a final one.
E392 is a concentrated extract of rosemary leaves. Most of its effect comes from two natural compounds, carnosic acid and carnosol. It can be extracted with alcohol, acetone, pressurised carbon dioxide or hexane, which changes its colour and smell but not those two compounds.
It stops fats and oils going rancid. Carnosic acid and carnosol mop up the unstable molecules that set off rancidity in fat, which slows spoilage and keeps the flavour and colour of fatty foods for longer. Makers use it instead of man-made antioxidants such as BHA or BHT.
Chilled and frozen meat, processed and dry-cured meats, frying oils and shortening, margarine and spreads, crisps and snacks, rich baked goods, dried herbs and spice mixes, and fish products. UK labels call it antioxidant: rosemary extract, or antioxidant: E392.
In 2026 a NutriNet-Santé analysis of 108,723 French adults found rosemary extracts were one of 12 preservatives individually linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. It is one observational study, and it is about the extract added to packaged food. These are observational studies: they show links, not proof that the additive causes the disease.
Among 108,723 French adults followed from 2009 to 2023, with 1,131 new cases of type 2 diabetes, rosemary extract (E392) was one of 12 preservatives individually linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
Carnosic acid and carnosol are the main active compounds in rosemary extract. Both break the chain reaction that turns fats rancid. Lab tests and tests in food show the extract slows this in meat, oils and baked goods, often about as well as man-made antioxidants.
Reviewers identified carnosic acid and carnosol as the main compounds that give rosemary extract its preserving effect.
Lab studies show rosemary extract slows fats going rancid in fatty foods, depending on how much is used and what the food is made of.
In 2016 the international expert committee set a temporary daily limit of 0.3mg per kg of body weight, measured as carnosic acid plus carnosol. In 2018 European reviewers estimated intake from the additive for every age group, including children, and found it below that limit. The word temporary means the committee asked for more long-term studies, not that it found harm.
The international committee set a temporary daily limit of 0.3mg of carnosic acid plus carnosol per kg of body weight.
The children with the highest intakes, aged 3 to 9, took in an estimated 0.20mg per kg of body weight a day from the additive, below the temporary limit. Reviewers said real intake is probably lower still.
People who cook with fresh or dried rosemary eat carnosic acid and carnosol from the herb itself, whatever is in packaged food. European reviewers estimated that people who use the most herbs get up to 1.66mg per kg of body weight a day this way, far more than the additive adds.
People with the highest intakes got up to 1.66mg per kg of body weight a day of carnosic acid and carnosol from cooking herbs, more than from the additive.
Daily limit. A temporary 0.3mg per kg of body weight a day, measured as carnosic acid plus carnosol (international committee, 2016). European reviewers have not set a numerical limit.
No group is advised to avoid it on current evidence. People allergic to rosemary or related herbs such as sage, mint or thyme may want to know it is there. Look for rosemary extract or E392 in the ingredients.
E392 comes from a herb Europeans have cooked with for centuries, and its active compounds are the same ones you eat when you cook with fresh rosemary. Regulators' reviews have not found a reason for concern at the amounts used in food, and the temporary daily limit reflects a request for more long-term data. A large 2026 French study did link rosemary extracts added to packaged food with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. It is one observational finding about the extract as used in processed food, not about cooking with the herb. Which foods count as ultra-processed is set out in our ultra-processed foods list.
No. E392 is approved in the UK and EU and is on the Food Standards Agency's list of approved additives.
The international committee calls a limit temporary when it has asked makers for more long-term studies before setting a final one. It does not mean a hazard was found. The temporary limit is 0.3mg per kg of body weight a day, measured as carnosic acid plus carnosol.
Processed and dry-cured meats, margarine and spreads, frying oils, crisps and snacks, rich baked goods and some dried herb mixes. Look for rosemary extract or E392 under antioxidants in the ingredients.
Yes. Rosemary extract comes entirely from the rosemary plant and contains nothing from animals.
Last reviewed: 20 June 2026
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