Other Concerns
Use restrictions (low)SYNONYMS
This ingredient is not currently on EWG's Skin Deep Restricted or Unacceptable Lists.
Shea butter is a vegetable fat obtained from the fruit of a tree native to Africa, Butyrospermum parkii. Shea butter is primarily composed of fatty acids such as stearic and oleic acids.
Common concerns
See how this product scores for common concerns.
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LOWCancer
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LOWAllergies & Immunotoxicity
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LOWDevelopmental and Reproductive Toxicity
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LOWUse Restrictions
Ingredient concerns
- CONCERNS
- DATA SOURCES
Products with this Ingredient
moisturizer | 1265 products |
lipstick | 670 products |
lip balm | 547 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 534 products |
bar soap | 513 products |
conditioner | 509 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 356 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant | 334 products |
lip gloss | 309 products |
shampoo | 284 products |
hand cream | 276 products |
foundation | 243 products |
hair treatment/serum | 241 products |
mask | 236 products |
body wash/cleanser | 227 products |
recreational sunscreen | 224 products |
concealer | 174 products |
blush | 160 products |
hair styling aide | 157 products |
around-eye cream | 148 products |
baby lotion | 110 products |
facial cleanser | 108 products |
bath oil/salts/soak | 98 products |
beard care | 93 products |
daily use with SPF | 72 products |
lip liner | 70 products |
liquid hand soap | 69 products |
eye shadow | 68 products |
bronzer/highlighter | 67 products |
serums & essences | 64 products |
styling gel/lotion | 60 products |
body firming lotion | 60 products |
brow liner | 59 products |
lip balm with SPF | 58 products |
shaving cream | 56 products |
baby sunscreen | 44 products |
foot moisturizer | 43 products |
anti-aging | 42 products |
eye liner | 40 products |
mascara | 39 products |
baby soap | 35 products |
makeup primer | 34 products |
lip plumper | 29 products |
baby shampoo | 29 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's) | 29 products |
damaged skin treatment | 27 products |
diaper cream | 25 products |
fragrance for women | 25 products |
hair color and bleaching | 25 products |
sunless tanning | 23 products |
detangler | 20 products |
body oil | 20 products |
after sun product | 19 products |
shaving cream (men's) | 15 products |
after shave | 14 products |
hand sanitizer | 13 products |
13 products | |
makeup remover | 10 products |
muscle/joint soreness | 10 products |
hair spray | 10 products |
bubble bath | 10 products |
styling mousse/foam | 10 products |
foot odor control | 8 products |
skin fading/lightener | 7 products |
baby bubble bath | 7 products |
CC cream | 7 products |
setting powder/spray | 7 products |
cuticle treatment | 6 products |
nail treatment | 6 products |
facial powder | 6 products |
beard oil | 6 products |
baby oil | 5 products |
beard cleanser | 5 products |
foot cleansing | 4 products |
nail polish | 4 products |
toners/astringents | 4 products |
depilatory | 3 products |
hair relaxer | 3 products |
BB cream | 3 products |
facial cleansing wipes | 3 products |
body spray | 2 products |
baby wipes | 1 products |
mouthwash | 1 products |
hair-loss treatment | 1 products |
hair removal waxes | 1 products |
glitter | 1 products |
eye makeup remover | 1 products |
tanning oil | 1 products |
toothpaste | 1 products |
body cleansing wipes | 1 products |
Use restrictions
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - Safe for use in cosmetics with some qualifications | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Allergies/immunotoxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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any or allergies - weight of evidence unknown/unassessed | Open scientific literature |
Data gaps
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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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 product | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
54 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
Informational
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - any | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Ecotoxicology
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
- CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC.
- Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
- NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
- EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
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 SCORESHazard 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.
Data availability
The Skin Deep data availability rating reflects the number of scientific studies about the product or ingredient in the published scientific literature.