Find products and ingredients Learn how Skin Deep® works Meet our experts Discover EWG VERIFIED®

Data: Fair

Cellulose Gum

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

SEARCH PRODUCTS

Other Concerns


SYNONYMS

● ACETIC ACID, HYDROXY-, CELLULOSE ETHER
● CARBOXYMETHYL CELLULOSE
● CARBOXYMETHYL ETHER CELLULOSE
● CARBOXYMETHYLCELLULOSE
● CARBOXYMETHYLCELLULOSE SODIUM SALT
● CELLULOSE ETHER ACETIC ACID, HYDROXY-
● CELLULOSE GUM
● CELLULOSE, CARBOXYMETHYL ETHER
● CELLULOSE, CARBOXYMETHYL ETHER, SODIUM SALT
● CELLULOSE, ETHER WITH GLYCOLIC ACID, SODIUM SALT
● ETHER WITH GLYCOLIC ACID SODIUM SALT CELLULOSE
● HYDROXY- CELLULOSE ETHER ACETIC ACID
● SODIUM CARBOXYMETHYL CELLULOSE
● SODIUM CARBOXYMETHYLCELLULOSE
● SODIUM CARMELLOSE
● SODIUM CMC
● SODIUM SALT CELLULOSE, ETHER WITH GLYCOLIC ACID

Restricted

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


This ingredient is a chemically-treated cellulose derivative.

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

Expand content Collapse content
toothpaste217 products
mask106 products
foundation95 products
recreational sunscreen84 products
facial moisturizer/treatment50 products
serums & essences40 products
around-eye cream31 products
BB cream22 products
antiperspirant/deodorant21 products
facial cleanser19 products
daily use with SPF18 products
moisturizer18 products
tooth whitening18 products
concealer17 products
eye shadow16 products
eyelash glue15 products
baby sunscreen13 products
shampoo12 products
mascara11 products
exfoliant/scrub11 products
body wash/cleanser11 products
baby toothpaste10 products
eye liner9 products
hair color and bleaching7 products
makeup primer5 products
brow liner5 products
anti-aging5 products
liquid hand soap4 products
bath oil/salts/soak4 products
pore strips3 products
toners/astringents3 products
lip balm3 products
hair treatment/serum3 products
hair styling aide3 products
nail polish2 products
baby shampoo2 products
body firming lotion2 products
2 products
mouthwash2 products
hand cream2 products
conditioner2 products
bar soap2 products
lip plumper1 products
facial cleansing wipes1 products
baby lotion1 products
after shave1 products
baby wipes1 products
lipstick1 products
nail treatment1 products
beard care1 products
foot cleansing1 products
hair spray1 products
foot moisturizer1 products
skin fading/lightener1 products
after sun product1 products
styling gel/lotion1 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)1 products

Data gaps

Expand content Collapse content
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
14776 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

Multiple, additive exposure sources

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodFDA Food Additive Status
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodFDA Everything Added to Food

Informational

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

Ecotoxicology

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

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Classified as a low human health priorityEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
  • 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) 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.
  • 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 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

Can’t find your product?

Enter the ingredients in EWG’s Build Your Own Report tool to get an approximate score for that product.

BUILD YOUR OWN REPORT
Skindeep Healthy Living App

EWG research
on the go

Find personal care, cleaning, and food products on the EWG Healthy Living app.

DOWNLOAD THE APP