Is (R/S)-1,3-Butanediol legal?
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
- US: Sold as a dietary supplement
- UK: Sold as a supplement
- AU: Available as a supplement / complementary medicine
- CA: Sold as a supplement
The US comes first because most people ask about it. Each country has its own page. It names the agency, the law or rule, and what the legal category means in real life.
All four countries, side by side
| What we list | United States · FDA | United Kingdom · MHRA | Australia · TGA | Canada · Health Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Not approved | Not approved | Not approved | Not approved |
| Legal category | Sold as a dietary supplement | Sold as a supplement | Available as a supplement / complementary medicine | Sold as a supplement |
| Note | None recorded | None recorded | None recorded | None recorded |
| Agency | Check FDA directly | Check MHRA directly | Check TGA directly | Check Health Canada directly |
US FDA status: Not a drug. Allowed in US food as a liquid that carries flavourings. Sold in ketone supplement products. Not approved for any use. The lifespan result from the Interventions Testing Program (ITP), a US government-funded mouse study, is unclear. Females lived 2 percent longer by the standard test, but only at some test sites. Males lived 9 percent longer, but only by one other test (the Gehan test). The mice got it as 10 percent of their diet.. Reviewed Sep 2026.
Country by country
Is (R/S)-1,3-Butanediol legal in the United States?
(R/S)-1,3-Butanediol can be sold in the United States as a supplement or cosmetic ingredient. Its legal category is "Sold as a dietary supplement". That is not approval as a drug. FDA has not checked any health claim made for it. Versions you inject, and "research use only" versions, fall outside supplement rules, so that label does not make them legal to use in people. On the evidence, 1 completed human trial is cited on its profile.
The full United States answerIs (R/S)-1,3-Butanediol legal in the United Kingdom?
(R/S)-1,3-Butanediol can be sold in the United Kingdom as a supplement or cosmetic ingredient. Its legal category is "Sold as a supplement". That is not approval as a drug. MHRA has not checked any health claim made for it. Versions you inject, and "research use only" versions, fall outside supplement rules, so that label does not make them legal to use in people. On the evidence, 1 completed human trial is cited on its profile.
The full United Kingdom answerIs (R/S)-1,3-Butanediol legal in Australia?
(R/S)-1,3-Butanediol can be sold in Australia as a supplement or cosmetic ingredient. Its legal category is "Available as a supplement / complementary medicine". That is not approval as a drug. TGA has not checked any health claim made for it. Versions you inject, and "research use only" versions, fall outside supplement rules, so that label does not make them legal to use in people. On the evidence, 1 completed human trial is cited on its profile.
The full Australia answerIs (R/S)-1,3-Butanediol legal in Canada?
(R/S)-1,3-Butanediol can be sold in Canada as a supplement or cosmetic ingredient. Its legal category is "Sold as a supplement". That is not approval as a drug. Health Canada has not checked any health claim made for it. Versions you inject, and "research use only" versions, fall outside supplement rules, so that label does not make them legal to use in people. On the evidence, 1 completed human trial is cited on its profile.
The full Canada answer(R/S)-1,3-Butanediol in sport and the military
Whether (R/S)-1,3-Butanediol is banned in sport is set by the World Anti-Doping Code and by military rules, not by its legal status. Before you compete or get tested, look up (R/S)-1,3-Butanediol by name on the Prohibited List, or look up a named product in Global DRO. Under the World Anti-Doping Code, category S0 bans, at all times, any drug-like substance that meets two tests. No other section of the List covers it. And no government health regulator anywhere has a current approval for it as a treatment in people. Many substances that are approved somewhere are banned by name in another section. So approval does not mean a substance is allowed in sport.
- WADA Prohibited List
- Global DRO (check a named product)
- USADA (US athletes)
- Operation Supplement Safety (US service members)
The rules you compete or serve under decide this, not this page.
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General information, current as of Sep 2026. Not legal advice. Legal status changes. For your own situation, check with the agency or a lawyer. Educational use only. This database summarizes published research and is not medical advice. Where a dose appears it is a record of what a trial or clinic ran, or what people describe doing, with its source attached. Nothing here is a recommendation for personal use. Sellers named on the price pages are ranked by certificate tier, then price, and any affiliate income is disclosed there. Naming a seller is not a recommendation to buy or use anything.