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Data: Fair

Paraffin

Other Concerns

Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate)

SYNONYMS

● CRYSTALLINE PETROLEUM WAX
● HIGH MELTING POINT PARAFFIN
● HYDROTREATED PARAFFIN WAX; HYDROTREATED PARAFFIN WAX
● LOW MELTING POINT PARAFFIN
● PARAFFIN
● PARAFFIN WAX
● PARAFFIN WAXES
● PARAFFIN WAXES (PETROLEUM), HYDROTREATED
● PETROLEUM WAX, CRYSTALLINE
● WAXES, PARAFFIN

Restricted

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


Paraffin is a solid mixture of hydrocarbons obtained from petroleum.

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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lipstick243 products
mascara175 products
eye liner154 products
lip liner100 products
lip balm89 products
concealer45 products
foundation44 products
brow liner41 products
blush34 products
bronzer/highlighter28 products
eye shadow20 products
moisturizer20 products
recreational sunscreen19 products
hair styling aide16 products
lip balm with SPF15 products
hand cream15 products
diaper cream13 products
lip gloss12 products
makeup primer10 products
facial moisturizer/treatment9 products
depilatory8 products
styling gel/lotion7 products
bar soap7 products
hair spray6 products
conditioner6 products
exfoliant/scrub6 products
hair treatment/serum6 products
around-eye cream5 products
lip plumper5 products
mask4 products
hair removal waxes4 products
hair color and bleaching4 products
facial cleanser4 products
baby sunscreen3 products
antiperspirant/deodorant3 products
damaged skin treatment2 products
shampoo2 products
fragrance for women2 products
cuticle treatment2 products
nail polish2 products
foot moisturizer1 products
beard care1 products
1 products
hand sanitizer1 products
anti-aging1 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)1 products
muscle/joint soreness1 products
nail glue1 products
fragrance for men1 products
body art1 products
serums & essences1 products

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as expected to be toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

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
46954 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

Multiple, additive exposure sources

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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

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - anyCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
  • 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.

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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