Health Concerns of the Ingredient:
Overall Hazard
Developmental &
reproductive toxicity
Allergies & immunotoxicity
About ALCOHOL DENATURED: Denatured alcohol is a mixture of ethanol (ethyl alcohol) with a denaturing agent. Ethanol is considered broadly toxic and linked to birth defects following excessive oral ingestion. Potential risks f ... read more
About ALCOHOL DENATURED: Denatured alcohol is a mixture of ethanol (ethyl alcohol) with a denaturing agent. Ethanol is considered broadly toxic and linked to birth defects following excessive oral ingestion. Potential risks from ethanol in personal care products are significantly smaller than the health risks posed by the consumption of alcohol.
Function(s): ANTIFOAMING; ANTIMICROBIAL; ASTRINGENT; MASKING; SOLVENT; VISCOSITY CONTROLLING
Synonym(s): ALCOHOL, COMPLETELY DENATURED; DENATURED ALCOHOL, DESIGNATED BY THE GOVERNMENT; DENATURED ALCOHOL, NOT DESIGNATED BY THE GOVERNMENT; DESIGNATED BY THE GOVERNMENT DENATURED ALCOHOL; NOT DESIGNATED BY THE GOVERNMENT DENATURED ALCOHOL
Multiple, additive exposure sources
Concern |
Reference |
Used in food or as an additive with limited or no toxicity information available | FDA Everything Added to Food |
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Food Additive Status |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
Concern |
Reference |
Classified as expected to be toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Classified as medium human health priority | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Limited evidence of sense organ toxicity | Harvell, J |
Limited evidence of gastrointestinal or liver toxicity | Klaassen, C |
Ecotoxicology
Concern |
Reference |
Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Data gaps
Concern |
Reference |
Insufficient data to determine safety | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
78,649 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical see search results -> | NLM PubMed |
Miscellaneous
Concern |
Reference |
Occupational hazards related to handling | European Union - Classification & Labelling |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
Concern |
Reference |
Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Enhanced skin absorption
Concern |
Reference |
Penetration enhancer | Mutalik S, Udupa N |
Data Sources
AOEC (Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics). 2009. AEOC exposures codes and asthmagen designation. |
CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC. |
CPS&Q (Consumer Products Safety & Quality) formely known as ECB (European Chemicals Bureau). 2008. Classification and Labelling: Chemicals: Annex VI of Directive 67/548/EEC through the 31st ATP. |
EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry. |
FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) 2006. Food Additive Status List. Downloaded from http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/%7Edms/opa-appa.html, Oct 16, 2006. |
FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). 2008. EAFUS [Everything Added to Food]: A Food Additive Database. FDA Office of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. |
Harvell, J., M. Bason and H. Maibach. Contact Urticaria and its Mechanisms. Food Chemistry and Toxicology 32(2): 103-112. 1994. (Table 2: Substances identified as capable of causing contact urticaria). |
IFRA (International Fragrance Assocication). 2010. IFRA Fragrance Ingredient List based on 2008 Use Survey. Accessed online 01/04/2010: http://www.ifraorg.org/Home/News/Latest-News/page.aspx/66?xf_itemId=43&xf_selectionDatapartId=25 |
Klaassen, C., M. Amdur and J. Doull (eds.). Casarett and Doull |
Mutalik S, Udupa N. "Effect of some penetration enhancers on the permeation of glibenclamide and glipizide through mouse skin." Pharmazie. 2003 Dec;58(12):891-4. ; Brand RM, Jendrzejewski JL, Henery EM, Charron AR. A single oral dose of ethanol can alter transdermal absorption of topically applied chemicals in rats. Toxicol Sci. 2006 Aug;92(2):349-55. Epub 2006 May 5. |
NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov. |
Products Containing the Ingredient
About the Skin Deep® ratings
EWG provides information on personal care product ingredients from the published scientific literature, to supplement incomplete data available from companies and the government. The ratings below indicate the relative level of concern posed by exposure to the ingredients in this product - not the product itself - compared to other product formulations. The ratings reflect potential health hazards but do not account for the level of exposure or individual susceptibility, factors which determine actual health risks, if any.
Learn more |
Legal Disclaimer
About EWG VERIFIED™
Beyond providing Skin Deep® as an educational tool for consumers, EWG offers its EWG VERIFIED™ mark as a quick and easily identifiable way of conveying personal care products that meet EWG's strict health criteria. Before a company can use EWG VERIFIEDTM on such products, the company must show that it fully discloses the products' ingredients on their labels or packaging, they do not contain EWG ingredients of concern, and are made with good manufacturing practices, among other criteria. Note that EWG receives licensing fees from all EWG VERIFIED member companies that help to support the important work we do.
Learn more |
Legal Disclaimer