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Data: Good

Carrageenan

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

SEARCH PRODUCTS

Other Concerns

Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate)

SYNONYMS

● CARRAGEENAN
● CARRAGEENIN
● CHONDRUS
● CHONDRUS CRISPUS (CARRAGEENAN)
● IRISH MOSS
● IRISH MOSS EXTRACT

Restricted

Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation


Carrageenan is a gelatinous polysaccharide material obtained from red seeweed (marine algae).

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

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

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

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toothpaste136 products
mask106 products
serums & essences41 products
around-eye cream31 products
moisturizer30 products
body wash/cleanser29 products
facial moisturizer/treatment23 products
facial cleanser22 products
exfoliant/scrub19 products
shampoo14 products
hair treatment/serum9 products
blush7 products
tooth whitening7 products
baby toothpaste7 products
hair styling aide6 products
conditioner6 products
bath oil/salts/soak6 products
recreational sunscreen5 products
brow liner5 products
antiperspirant/deodorant5 products
toners/astringents4 products
bronzer/highlighter4 products
lip balm4 products
after sun product4 products
anti-aging3 products
daily use with SPF3 products
styling gel/lotion3 products
hand cream2 products
lip plumper2 products
makeup remover2 products
hair spray2 products
sunless tanning2 products
hand sanitizer2 products
baby shampoo2 products
skin fading/lightener2 products
liquid hand soap2 products
baby soap2 products
concealer1 products
lipstick1 products
setting powder/spray1 products
makeup primer1 products
hair color and bleaching1 products
exfoliant/scrub - large particle1 products
1 products
tanning oil1 products
mascara1 products
body cleansing wipes1 products
after shave1 products
cuticle treatment1 products
shaving cream1 products
foundation1 products
shaving cream (men's)1 products
eye shadow1 products
bar soap1 products
styling mousse/foam1 products

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as a high human health priorityEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

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

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
10968 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

Informational

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - anyOpen scientific literature

Cancer

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not likely to be carcinogenic in humansInt'l Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) - Carcinogens
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
  • 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.
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
  • Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
  • IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer). 2008. Overall Evaluations of Carcinogenicity to Humans, as evaluated in IARC Monographs Volumes 1-99 (a total of 935 agents, mixtures and exposures).

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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