Other Concerns
Enhanced skin absorption, Use restrictions (low), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate), and Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (high)SYNONYMS
This ingredient is not currently on EWG's Skin Deep Restricted or Unacceptable Lists.
Propylene glycol is a small organic alcohol commonly used as a skin conditioning agent. It has been associated with irritant and allergic contact dermatitis as well as contact urticaria in humans; these sensitization effects can be manifested at propylene glycol concentrations as low as 2%.
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
shampoo | 440 products |
hair color and bleaching | 412 products |
conditioner | 402 products |
hair styling aide | 275 products |
hair treatment/serum | 257 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant | 226 products |
mask | 222 products |
concealer | 209 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 201 products |
moisturizer | 177 products |
foundation | 176 products |
mascara | 155 products |
serums & essences | 153 products |
styling gel/lotion | 149 products |
body wash/cleanser | 135 products |
facial cleanser | 128 products |
sunless tanning | 110 products |
bar soap | 110 products |
liquid hand soap | 104 products |
recreational sunscreen | 104 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 92 products |
mouthwash | 88 products |
eye liner | 86 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's) | 83 products |
eye shadow | 81 products |
brow liner | 78 products |
body spray | 76 products |
styling mousse/foam | 72 products |
nail polish | 70 products |
hair spray | 68 products |
hand sanitizer | 65 products |
hand cream | 59 products |
setting powder/spray | 59 products |
makeup primer | 57 products |
toners/astringents | 54 products |
around-eye cream | 53 products |
lip balm | 53 products |
fragrance for women | 45 products |
toothpaste | 44 products |
eyelash glue | 43 products |
daily use with SPF | 42 products |
polish remover | 35 products |
BB cream | 35 products |
hair-loss treatment | 34 products |
shaving cream | 33 products |
blush | 32 products |
lip gloss | 28 products |
nail treatment | 28 products |
anti-aging | 26 products |
after shave | 25 products |
baby wipes | 25 products |
makeup remover | 21 products |
lipstick | 18 products |
bronzer/highlighter | 18 products |
CC cream | 18 products |
baby sunscreen | 18 products |
after sun product | 17 products |
foot moisturizer | 16 products |
bath oil/salts/soak | 16 products |
detangler | 16 products |
body firming lotion | 16 products |
16 products | |
fragrance for men | 12 products |
body cleansing wipes | 12 products |
muscle/joint soreness | 11 products |
glitter | 10 products |
bubble bath | 9 products |
tooth whitening | 9 products |
body oil | 9 products |
facial cleansing wipes | 9 products |
makeup removing wipes | 9 products |
shaving cream (men's) | 8 products |
skin fading/lightener | 8 products |
baby lotion | 8 products |
foot cleansing | 7 products |
lip balm with SPF | 7 products |
beard care | 7 products |
depilatory | 6 products |
hair relaxer | 6 products |
lip liner | 6 products |
pore strips | 6 products |
eye makeup remover | 5 products |
baby soap | 5 products |
other eye makeup | 5 products |
baby shampoo | 5 products |
tanning oil | 4 products |
baby toothpaste | 4 products |
damaged skin treatment | 4 products |
nail glue | 3 products |
baby oil | 3 products |
foot odor control | 2 products |
cuticle treatment | 2 products |
diaper cream | 2 products |
beard cleanser | 2 products |
lip plumper | 1 products |
body powder | 1 products |
other men's products | 1 products |
Enhanced skin absorption
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Penetration enhancer | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Classified as skin irritant | National Library of Medicine HazMap |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Classified as expected to be toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Allergies/immunotoxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Limited evidence of skin and immune system toxicity or allergies | Open scientific literature |
Use restrictions
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - Safe for use in cosmetics with some qualifications | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Data gaps
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Safety assessment was based on related chemical | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
5589 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
Multiple, additive exposure sources
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Food Additive Status |
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Everything Added to Food |
Informational
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - Determined safe for use in cosmetics up to a specified concentration limit | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Developmental/reproductive toxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Not likely to be a any toxicant in humans | NTP - Risks to Human Reproduction |
- 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). 2006. HazMap — Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents.
- EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
- Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
- 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.
- NTP (National Toxicology Program). 2006. NTP Center for the Evaluation fo Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR). NTP-CERHR Reports and Monographs.
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.