Acesulfame K (E950) — What You Need to Know
The score is an eNumbers.org editorial summary, not an official agency rating or medical advice. Start with the regulatory status and primary sources below.
What Is Acesulfame K?
Acesulfame potassium (Acesulfame K, Ace-K) is an artificial sweetener approximately 200 times sweeter than table sugar. It was discovered in 1967 by Karl Clauss at Hoechst AG. It is heat-stable, making it suitable for baking, and is commonly combined with other sweeteners like aspartame or sucralose to mask a slightly bitter aftertaste.
What Is It Used For?
Used in diet drinks, sugar-free candy, chewing gum, tabletop sweeteners, and baked goods. Frequently blended with aspartame or sucralose in diet beverages.
Exposure figures are population-level references, not personal limits. Actual intake varies by diet, product and jurisdiction.
Regulatory & Editorial Context
Some animal studies have suggested that high doses of acesulfame K may affect thyroid function, though these studies used doses far exceeding normal human consumption. Critics have noted that the original safety studies in the 1970s were limited in scope. More recent concerns have been raised about potential impacts on gut microbiome composition, though this research is preliminary. The CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) has historically listed it as a sweetener to avoid due to insufficient safety data.
eNumbers.org currently assigns Acesulfame K an editorial context label of Caution with a score of 5/10. This is 0.8 points below the database average for sweeteners (5.8/10). Dataset reference year: 2020. The dataset's population estimate equals about 0.2% of the listed ADI.
This score is not issued by EFSA, FDA, WHO or another regulator.
Commonly Found In
Always check the label for E950 or 'Acesulfame K'
▶Chemical Information
Primary Sources
Source review: 2026-08-08Official references relevant to this page. Check the agency record for current permitted uses, limits and jurisdiction-specific wording.
- European Commission: EU Food Additives Database ↗EU authorisations and conditions of use
- WHO / FAO JECFA: JECFA food-additives database ↗International evaluations and acceptable daily intakes
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Aspartame and other sweeteners in food ↗U.S. sweetener authorisations and consumer information
- European Food Safety Authority: Food additives ↗EFSA food-additive safety assessment process
Frequently Asked Questions about Acesulfame K
Quick Facts
- E-Number
- E950
- INS Number
- 950
- Category
- Sweeteners
- Origin
- Synthetic
- FDA Status
- Approved
- EFSA Status
- Authorized
- ADI
- 15 mg/kg bw/day
- Dataset Review
- 2020
Carriers, processing aids and product certification can change suitability. Verify the final label and certifier.
Related Additives
Other sweeteners in the same family