1. Butylparaben can be used for the antibacterial and anticorrosion of drugs, cosmetics and food.

2. As a kind of preservative; Because of the low solubility in water, Butylparaben is usually prepared into ethanol solution, acetic acid solution or  solution. To improve the solubility, several different esters are often used. For example, three parts of isobutyl, four parts of isopropyl and three parts of butyl are formulated as a co-soluble mixture and the mixture is used as an oil-in-water emulsifier. This preparation is easy to use in soy sauce and other foods, the solubility of butyl ester alone can be increased by 2 to 3 times. For soy sauce, 5%  solution can be added to the goods of 20% to 25%, and then slowly added to the sauce having been heated to about 80 oC. Acetic acid solution or ester type emulsifier can also be used. The usage amount of anti-mold soy sauce is 0.05~0.10g/L. Vinegar can be used in acetic acid or solution. Soft drinks can be used in the solution , but usually used in combination with benzoic acid and dehydroacetic acid.
3. Used as organic synthesis intermediates; the anti-corrosion additives of medicine, food, cosmetics, film and high-grade products; reagents. Being used as germicide preservative of food is Butylparaben's major application. In the p-hydroxybenzoic acid esters, it can give the strongest anti-corrosion bactericidal effect. Because of its poor water solubility, it is often used with other esters in combination.
4. For preservatives and disinfectants