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Data: Fair

Chlorhexidine Digluconate

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

SEARCH PRODUCTS

Other Concerns

Use restrictions (moderate), Persistence and bioaccumulation (moderate), and Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (low)

SYNONYMS

● CHLORHEXIDINE GLUCONATE
● 1,1'-HEXAMETHYLENE BIS(5-(P-CHLOROPHENYL)BIGUANIDE) DIGLUCONATE
● CHLORHEXIDINE BIGLUCONATE
● CHLORHEXIDINE DIGLUCONATE
● CHLORHEXIDINE GLUCONATE
● CHLORHEXIDINE GLUCONATE SOLUTION
● COMPD. WITH D-GLUCONIC ACID
● COMPD. WITH N,N'-BIS(4-CHLOROPHENYL)-3,12-DIIMINO-2,4,11,13-TETRAAZATETRADECANEDIIMIDAMIDE
● D-GLUCONIC ACID
● D-GLUCONIC ACID, COMPD. WITH
● D-GLUCONIC ACID, COMPD. WITH N,N''-BIS(4-CHLOROPHENYL)-3,12-DIIMINO-2,4,11,13-TETRAAZATETRADECANEDIIMIDAMIDE (2:1)
● D-GLUCONIC ACID, COMPOUND WITH N,N''-BIS(4-CHLOROPHENYL)-3,12-DIIMINO-2,4,11,13-TETRAAZATETRADECANEDIAMIDINE (2:1)
● N,N'-BIS(4- CHLOROPHENYL)-3,12-DIIMINO-2,4,11,13-TETRAAZATETRADECANEDIIMIDAMIDE
● N,N'-BIS(4-CHLOROPHENYL)-3,12-DIIMINO-2,4,11,13-TETRAAZATETRADECANEDIIMIDAMIDE, COMPD. WITH

Unacceptable

Unacceptable: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient


Chlorhexidine Digluconate is a salt of Chlorhexidine (q.v.) and gluconic acid.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

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

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

Expand content Collapse content
conditioner35 products
around-eye cream30 products
concealer16 products
hair color and bleaching10 products
hair treatment/serum9 products
serums & essences5 products
mask5 products
facial moisturizer/treatment4 products
anti-aging3 products
other eye makeup3 products
makeup primer2 products
setting powder/spray2 products
exfoliant/scrub2 products
daily use with SPF1 products
fragrance for women1 products
blush1 products
after shave1 products
liquid hand soap1 products
detangler1 products
damaged skin treatment1 products
lip balm1 products
body spray1 products
body powder1 products
eye makeup remover1 products
moisturizer1 products
facial cleanser1 products

Allergies/immunotoxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Human immune and respiratory toxicant or allergen - strong evidenceAssociation of Occupational and Environmental Clinics
Human skin toxicant or allergen - strong evidenceEWG Assessment of Open Scientific Literature
Human any toxicant or allergen - strong evidenceOpen scientific literature
Limited evidence of any toxicity or allergiesOpen scientific literature
Limited evidence of immune system toxicity or allergiesNational Library of Medicine HazMap

Persistence and bioaccumulation

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Persistent or bioaccumulative and moderate to high toxicity concern in humansOpen scientific literature
Not suspected to be persistentEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Use restrictions

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Restricted in cosmetics (recommendations or requirements) - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Use is restricted in Canadian cosmeticsCanada - Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetics Ingredients
Restricted in cosmetics (recommendations or requirements) - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Japan - restricted for use in some types of cosmetics (concentration limit)Japan's Standards for Cosmetics
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - Safe for use in cosmetics with some qualificationsCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Limited evidence of skin irritationNational Library of Medicine HazMap

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
2581 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

Ecotoxicology

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

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
  • AOEC (Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics). 2009. AEOC exposures codes and asthmagen designation.
  • EWG Assessment of Open Scientific Literature
  • 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.
  • Health Canada. 2007. List of Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetic Ingredients. Canada's Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist. March 2007.
  • Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. 2006. Standards for Cosmetics. Evaluation and Licensing Division. Pharmaceutical and Food Safety Bureau.
  • 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.

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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