Methylparaben
- Products with the EWG VERIFIED mark have met use restrictions and warnings based on EWG review of company data.
Other Concerns
Use restrictions (low), Endocrine disruption (moderate), and Biochemical or cellular level changes (moderate)SYNONYMS
Restricted
Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation
Methylparaben is in the paraben family of preservatives used by the food, pharmaceutical, and personal care product industries. Parabens mimic estrogen and can act as potential hormone (endocrine) system disruptors.
Common concerns
See how this product scores for common concerns.
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LOWCancer
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MODERATEAllergies & 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 | 210 products |
foundation | 199 products |
mascara | 99 products |
eye shadow | 89 products |
concealer | 87 products |
eye liner | 86 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 82 products |
conditioner | 66 products |
hair styling aide | 66 products |
styling gel/lotion | 60 products |
shampoo | 52 products |
facial powder | 46 products |
facial cleanser | 43 products |
bronzer/highlighter | 43 products |
hair treatment/serum | 41 products |
hand cream | 36 products |
blush | 30 products |
around-eye cream | 28 products |
hair color and bleaching | 23 products |
brow liner | 22 products |
recreational sunscreen | 22 products |
serums & essences | 21 products |
mask | 19 products |
daily use with SPF | 18 products |
setting powder/spray | 18 products |
nail polish | 17 products |
mouthwash | 16 products |
lip liner | 15 products |
lipstick | 15 products |
sunless tanning | 14 products |
body firming lotion | 14 products |
lip gloss | 14 products |
styling mousse/foam | 13 products |
makeup primer | 13 products |
toners/astringents | 12 products |
body wash/cleanser | 10 products |
anti-aging | 10 products |
after shave | 9 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 8 products |
makeup remover | 8 products |
shaving cream | 8 products |
foot moisturizer | 7 products |
hair spray | 7 products |
hand sanitizer | 7 products |
diaper cream | 6 products |
hair-loss treatment | 6 products |
liquid hand soap | 6 products |
BB cream | 6 products |
body cleansing wipes | 6 products |
5 products | |
damaged skin treatment | 5 products |
eye makeup remover | 4 products |
nail treatment | 4 products |
toothpaste | 4 products |
fragrance for women | 4 products |
pore strips | 4 products |
facial cleansing wipes | 4 products |
lip balm | 3 products |
hair removal waxes | 3 products |
after sun product | 3 products |
other eye makeup | 3 products |
baby sunscreen | 3 products |
makeup removing wipes | 3 products |
beard care | 3 products |
baby wipes | 2 products |
skin fading/lightener | 2 products |
bath oil/salts/soak | 2 products |
depilatory | 2 products |
cuticle treatment | 2 products |
muscle/joint soreness | 2 products |
lip balm with SPF | 2 products |
shaving cream (men's) | 2 products |
tanning oil | 2 products |
bar soap | 2 products |
baby shampoo | 2 products |
polish remover | 2 products |
tooth whitening | 1 products |
baby lotion | 1 products |
foot odor control | 1 products |
detangler | 1 products |
lip plumper | 1 products |
baby soap | 1 products |
body powder | 1 products |
eyelash glue | 1 products |
hair perm | 1 products |
nail glue | 1 products |
Endocrine disruption
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Human endocrine disruptor - strong evidence | European Commission on Endocrine Disruption |
Limited evidence of endocrine disruption | Open scientific literature |
One or more studies show weak endocrine disruption | EWG Assessment of Open Scientific Literature |
Allergies/immunotoxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Human immune toxicant or allergen - moderate evidence | Open scientific literature |
One or more human case studies show possible immune or allergenic effects | Open scientific literature |
Biochemical or cellular level changes
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Interferes with gene expresion | Open scientific literature |
Use restrictions
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - any | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - any | Open scientific literature |
Data gaps
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 product | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
616 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Not suspected to be persistent | 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 |
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 |
Multiple, additive exposure sources
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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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 |
Ecotoxicology
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
- EU (European Union)- Strategy for Endocrine Disrupters 2007. Commision on endocrin disruption requested by the European Parliament in 1998.
- Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
- EWG Assessment of Open Scientific Literature
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.