Eugenol
- This ingredient’s score is higher if used in products that are inhalable (e.g., sprays, powders) because of respiratory concerns.
- Products with the EWG VERIFIED mark have met use restrictions and warnings based on EWG review of company data.
Other Concerns
Use restrictions (moderate) and Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate)SYNONYMS
Restricted
Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation
Eugenol is a naturally occuring scent chemical found in clove oil; also manufactured synthetically. Has been associated with allergies and contact dermatitis.
Common concerns
See how this product scores for common concerns.
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LOWCancer
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HIGHAllergies & Immunotoxicity
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LOWDevelopmental and Reproductive Toxicity
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MODERATEUse Restrictions
Ingredient concerns
- CONCERNS
- DATA SOURCES
Products with this Ingredient
fragrance for women | 146 products |
fragrance for men | 71 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 67 products |
moisturizer | 62 products |
hair treatment/serum | 57 products |
shampoo | 53 products |
hair styling aide | 47 products |
conditioner | 39 products |
lip balm | 37 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant | 29 products |
hand cream | 27 products |
lip gloss | 27 products |
hair spray | 26 products |
body spray | 25 products |
styling gel/lotion | 25 products |
body wash/cleanser | 25 products |
bar soap | 25 products |
serums & essences | 23 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's) | 22 products |
foundation | 20 products |
liquid hand soap | 18 products |
body oil | 16 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 14 products |
mask | 13 products |
beard care | 11 products |
styling mousse/foam | 10 products |
facial cleanser | 10 products |
lipstick | 10 products |
after shave | 8 products |
bath oil/salts/soak | 8 products |
toners/astringents | 7 products |
bronzer/highlighter | 7 products |
blush | 6 products |
body firming lotion | 5 products |
lip plumper | 5 products |
beard cleanser | 5 products |
shaving cream | 4 products |
nail treatment | 4 products |
hand sanitizer | 4 products |
setting powder/spray | 4 products |
daily use with SPF | 4 products |
hair color and bleaching | 3 products |
shaving cream (men's) | 3 products |
recreational sunscreen | 3 products |
anti-aging | 2 products |
toothpaste | 2 products |
foot moisturizer | 2 products |
around-eye cream | 2 products |
body powder | 2 products |
cuticle treatment | 2 products |
muscle/joint soreness | 2 products |
detangler | 1 products |
sunless tanning | 1 products |
facial powder | 1 products |
after sun product | 1 products |
lip balm with SPF | 1 products |
depilatory | 1 products |
oil controller | 1 products |
bubble bath | 1 products |
skin fading/lightener | 1 products |
beard oil | 1 products |
1 products | |
lip liner | 1 products |
brow liner | 1 products |
hair removal waxes | 1 products |
nail glue | 1 products |
body cleansing wipes | 1 products |
Allergies/immunotoxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Known human immune system toxicant or allergen | SCCPNFP Opinion on Fragrance Allergy |
Human any toxicant or allergen - strong evidence | Open scientific literature |
Limited evidence of any toxicity or allergies | Open scientific literature |
Limited evidence of immune system toxicity or allergies | National Library of Medicine HazMap |
Use restrictions
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Recommended restricted in cosmetics - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Fragrance subject to restrictions: safe only within recommended use or concentration limitsn) | International Fragrance Association Codes & Standards |
Restricted in cosmetics - labeling requirement for allergens | CosIng |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Classified as expected to be toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Classified as medium human health priority | Open scientific literature |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Not suspected to be persistent | Open scientific literature |
Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | Open scientific literature |
Data gaps
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
4337 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
Cancer
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Not likely to be carcinogenic in humans | Int'l Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) - Carcinogens |
Limited or incomplete evidence of cancer according to safety/hazard data – government assessment cannot classify as human carcinogen due to data gaps | Open scientific literature |
Ecotoxicology
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Open scientific literature |
Multiple, additive exposure sources
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Everything Added to Food |
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Food Additive Status |
- SCCPNFP (Scientific Committee On Cosmetic Products And Non-Food Products). 1999. Opinion Concerning Fragrance Allergy In Consumers. . SCCNFP/0017/98 Final, December 1999; and SCCPNFP (Scientific Committee On Cosmetic Products And Non-Food Products). 2000. An Initial List Of Perfumery Materials Which Must Not Form Part Of Fragrances Compounds Used In Cosmetic Products. SCCNFP/0320/00, final May 2000.
- Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
- NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2006. HazMap — Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents.
- IFRA (International Fragrance Association). 2006. Codes and Standards.
- European Commission. 2013. Cosing, the European Commission database with information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. Accessed on March 1, 2013 at http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/cosmetics/cosing/ .
- EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
- NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
- 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).
- 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 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.