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Data: Fair

Bht

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Endocrine disruption (low), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate), and Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (moderate)

SYNONYMS

● 2,6-BIS(1,1-DIMETHYLETHYL)-4-METHYL- PHENOL
● 2,6-BIS(1,1-DIMETHYLETHYL)-4-METHYLPHENOL
● 2,6-BIS(1,1-DIMETHYLETHYL)-4-METHYLPHENOL; 2,6-DI-TERT-BUTYL-4-METHYLPHENOL; PHENOL, 2,6-BIS(1,1-DIMETHYLETHYL)-4-METHYL-
● 2,6-DI-T-BUTYL-P-CRESOL
● 2,6-DI-TERT-BUTYL-P-CRESOL
● BHT
● BUTYLATED HYDROXYTOLUENE
● DBPC
● DIBUTYLHYDROXYTOLUENE
● PHENOL, 2,6-BIS(1,1-DIMETHYLETHYL)-4-METHYL-
● PHENOL, 2,6BIS(1,1DIMETHYLETHYL)4METHYL

Unacceptable

Unacceptable: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient


Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) is a toluene-based ingredient used as a preservative in food and personal care products.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

  • MODERATE
    Cancer
  • HIGH
    Allergies & Immunotoxicity
  • LOW
    Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
  • LOW
    Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

Expand content Collapse content
foundation337 products
lipstick300 products
lip gloss166 products
eye shadow151 products
antiperspirant/deodorant149 products
facial moisturizer/treatment130 products
concealer130 products
moisturizer129 products
lip balm110 products
eye liner108 products
body wash/cleanser99 products
fragrance for women86 products
hair treatment/serum85 products
shampoo76 products
daily use with SPF76 products
conditioner76 products
lip liner68 products
liquid hand soap66 products
mascara65 products
hair styling aide65 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)63 products
blush57 products
serums & essences55 products
recreational sunscreen54 products
brow liner53 products
fragrance for men45 products
around-eye cream42 products
mask40 products
hair spray37 products
lip balm with SPF33 products
hair color and bleaching33 products
bronzer/highlighter31 products
facial cleanser31 products
hand cream28 products
lip plumper28 products
makeup primer28 products
exfoliant/scrub23 products
setting powder/spray23 products
shaving cream21 products
toothpaste21 products
nail glue21 products
anti-aging20 products
hair-loss treatment19 products
body spray17 products
shaving cream (men's)15 products
styling gel/lotion14 products
bar soap13 products
facial powder12 products
body oil12 products
sunless tanning11 products
BB cream10 products
body firming lotion8 products
bath oil/salts/soak8 products
8 products
styling mousse/foam7 products
beard care7 products
after shave6 products
makeup remover6 products
polish remover6 products
toners/astringents5 products
nail treatment5 products
detangler5 products
skin fading/lightener4 products
cuticle treatment4 products
beard oil4 products
depilatory3 products
nail polish3 products
baby shampoo3 products
baby lotion2 products
hair removal waxes2 products
foot odor control1 products
tooth whitening1 products
diaper cream1 products
bubble bath1 products
hand sanitizer1 products
glitter1 products
beard cleanser1 products
eyelash glue1 products
facial cleansing wipes1 products
body cleansing wipes1 products

Allergies/immunotoxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Known human any toxicant or allergenOpen scientific literature
Human any toxicant or allergen - strong evidenceOpen scientific literature
One or more human case studies show significant any or allergenic effectsNational Library of Medicine HazMap

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as medium human health priorityOpen scientific literature
Classified as expected to be toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Cancer

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Limited evidence of carcinogenicityOpen scientific literature
One or more in vitro tests on mammalian cells show positive mutation resultsOpen scientific literature
One or more animal studies show tumor formation at high dosesOpen scientific literature
Not likely to be carcinogenic in humansOpen scientific literature

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Human respiratory irritant - moderate evidenceOpen scientific literature

Endocrine disruption

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CONCERN REFERENCE
One or more studies show weak endocrine disruptionOpen scientific literature

Developmental/reproductive toxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
One or more animal studies show developemental effects at high dosesOpen scientific literature

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Risk assessment method deficiencies and data gaps - Maximum reported "as used" concentration is basis of safety assessment by industry safety panel (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, CIR) - implicit safe concentration limit in productCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
5406 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

Persistence and bioaccumulation

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeOpen scientific literature
Not suspected to be persistentOpen scientific literature

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinOpen scientific literature

Informational

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - anyCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Multiple, additive exposure sources

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodFDA Everything Added to Food
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodFDA Food Additive Status
  • Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2006. HazMap — Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents.
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
  • CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC.
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Understanding scores

Cosmetics and personal care products are not required to be tested for safety before being allowed on the market. The Skin Deep® scoring system was designed to help the public understand whether a product is safe to use or whether it contains ingredients of concern.

Every product and ingredient in Skin Deep gets a two-part score – one for hazard and one for data availability. The safest products score well by both measures, with a low hazard rating and a fair or better data availability rating.

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES

Hazard score

The Skin Deep ingredient hazard score, from 1 to 10, reflects known and suspected hazards linked to the ingredients. The EWG VERIFIED® mark means a product meets EWG’s strictest criteria for transparency and health.

Score legend

Data availability

The Skin Deep data availability rating reflects the number of scientific studies about the product or ingredient in the published scientific literature.

NONE LIMITED FAIR GOOD ROBUST
Low Availability
Moderate Availability
High Availability

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