Is Cyclamate Still Used Today? A Global Perspective

December 11, 2025 •

3 min read

The artificial sweetener cyclamate was banned in the United States in 1970 following studies that suggested a link to bladder cancer in rats. However, decades later, this substance is still a popular food additive and tabletop sweetener in over 100 countries around the world, including Canada, Mexico, and the European Union.

Quick Summary

Cyclamate remains approved for use in over 100 countries worldwide, but is banned in the US, South Korea, and Bangladesh following earlier safety concerns. Its status varies significantly across international regulatory bodies due to differing interpretations of safety data.

Key Points

Global Use: Cyclamate is currently approved and used in over 100 countries, including Canada, Mexico, and the European Union.
U.S. Ban: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned cyclamate in 1970 following controversial animal studies, and it remains banned in the country.
Divergent Regulations: The disparity in cyclamate's legal status is due to different international regulatory interpretations of the original studies' findings.
Safety Reassessment: Global health bodies, including the WHO and EFSA, have since re-evaluated the safety data and established an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI).
Common Combination: Cyclamate is often used in combination with other sweeteners like saccharin to create a more balanced and palatable sweet flavor.
Heat Stable: A key feature of cyclamate is its high heat stability, making it suitable for baking and cooking, unlike some other artificial sweeteners.

Cyclamate's Legal Status and Historical Controversy

The story of cyclamate is a tale of diverging regulatory opinions. Discovered serendipitously in 1937, cyclamate gained popularity in the 1950s as a calorie-free sugar substitute and was designated as "Generally Recognized as Safe" (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1958. Its low cost and clean, sugar-like taste made it a favorite in diet sodas, canned foods, and tabletop sweeteners.

However, this all changed in the late 1960s when a study linked a high dose of a cyclamate-saccharin mixture to bladder tumors in rats. While later evidence questioned the validity of this study's conclusions, the political and public fallout led to the FDA's removal of cyclamate's GRAS status and a complete ban on its use in the U.S. by 1970. This decision remains in effect today, despite subsequent research failing to establish convincing evidence of carcinogenicity in humans. The FDA has acknowledged that a review of the evidence does not implicate cyclamate as a carcinogen, yet the ban remains.

Cyclamate Today: International Acceptance

While the U.S. ban is a well-known part of the additive's history, cyclamate continues to be a standard food additive elsewhere. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have reviewed the data and set an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI), considering it safe for consumption within those limits.

Countries Where Cyclamate Is Approved:

European Union (EU): Authorized as a sweetener (E952) in a wide range of foods and drinks.
Canada: Permitted for use, including in tabletop sweeteners.
Mexico: Commonly used in food and beverages.
Australia & New Zealand: Approved for use, though regulations may vary.
China & Russia: Major consumers and producers of cyclamate.
Brazil: Significant consumption, particularly in tabletop sweeteners.

Countries Where Cyclamate is Banned:

United States: Ban in effect since 1970.
South Korea: Remains banned.
Bangladesh: Remains banned.

Why the Discrepancy? Analyzing International Regulations

The differing stances on cyclamate highlight the complexity of food safety regulation and the difficulty in interpreting scientific data. The initial studies that prompted the U.S. ban were based on extremely high doses of the substance, far exceeding normal human consumption. Different regulatory bodies have since evaluated these studies and concluded that the results are not applicable to the typical dietary intake of cyclamate.

International bodies like the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) have established ADI values, indicating the amount that can be safely consumed over a lifetime without adverse health effects. The EU also sets a maximum amount of cyclamate per kilogram of food for various products. These regulations are in place to ensure that consumer exposure stays well within safe limits.

Cyclamate vs. Other Popular Sweeteners


Feature	Cyclamate	Aspartame	Sucralose	Saccharin
Sweetness (vs. Sugar)	30-50x	~200x	~600x	~300x
Use in USA	Banned	Approved	Approved	Approved
Cost	Relatively inexpensive	Moderate	Moderate to High	Inexpensive
Heat Stability	Very stable	Breaks down	Very stable	Less stable
Aftertaste	Minimal or none (often blended)	Generally clean	Generally clean	Bitter (often blended with cyclamate)
Common Use	Tabletop, beverages (outside US)	Diet beverages, gum, foods	Baking, beverages, foods	Tabletop, beverages, gum

Conclusion: A Tale of Two Realities

In conclusion, the answer to "is cyclamate still used today?" is a resounding yes, but the context is critically important. While it has been off the market in the United States for over fifty years due to a controversial and long-standing ban, it is a safe and widely used artificial sweetener in much of the rest of the world. Different regulatory bodies and international health organizations, having re-evaluated the original safety data, have determined cyclamate to be safe for consumption within specified levels. This creates a bifurcated reality where consumers' exposure to and perception of cyclamate depends heavily on their geographical location.

The Cyclamate Controversy and Regulatory Responses

The scientific and regulatory saga surrounding cyclamate offers a fascinating case study in food safety. The initial U.S. ban, a response to a single, high-dose animal study, set cyclamate's trajectory in the U.S. for decades. Subsequent re-evaluations and studies, however, led many other countries and global bodies to different conclusions, finding the substance to be non-carcinogenic at typical consumption levels. This regulatory divergence underlines the importance of ongoing scientific review and the nuances in interpreting risk assessment. For consumers, understanding these different approaches is key to grasping why a product might be readily available in one country and completely banned in another.

Frequently Asked Questions

The U.S. ban, in effect since 1970, was prompted by rat studies that linked very high doses of a cyclamate-saccharin mixture to bladder tumors. Subsequent reviews by international bodies like the WHO and EFSA found that the initial animal data did not translate to a risk for humans at typical consumption levels, leading them to approve it.

The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) has established an ADI for cyclamate of 11 mg/kg of body weight, while the EU’s Scientific Committee on Food has set it at 7 mg/kg.

Despite the initial scare, subsequent, more thorough research has not found convincing evidence that cyclamate is carcinogenic to humans at normal intake levels. The FDA itself has noted that a review of available evidence does not implicate it as a carcinogen, though the ban remains in effect.

Cyclamate is less potent (30-50x sweeter than sugar) than aspartame (~200x) or sucralose (~600x). It is highly heat-stable, unlike aspartame, and is often blended with saccharin to mask aftertastes.

You can find products with cyclamate (sometimes listed as E952) in countries where it is approved, such as Canada, Mexico, and throughout the EU. It is used in diet drinks, tabletop sweeteners, baked goods, and canned fruits.

Some studies, particularly on animal models, have explored other potential effects, such as a possible link to testicular damage caused by its metabolite, cyclohexylamine. However, regulatory bodies have established safe intake levels based on their overall assessment of available data.

Cyclamate (E952) is approved for use as a sweetener in the UK and EU for a variety of food products. After a temporary ban in the UK in the 1960s, it was re-evaluated and approved by the European Union in 1996.