Health Concerns of the Ingredient:
Overall Hazard
Developmental &
reproductive toxicity
Allergies & immunotoxicity
About STEARYL ALCOHOL: Stearyl alcohol is a compound produced from stearic acid, a naturally occurring fatty acid.
This ingredient may be derived from animals. From PETA's Caring Consumer: A mixture of solid alcohols. Can be prepared from sperm whale oil. In medicines, creams, rinses, shampoos, etc. Derivatives: Stearamine Oxide, Stearyl Acetate, Stearyl Caprylate, Stearyl Citrate, Stea ... read more
This ingredient may be derived from animals. From PETA's Caring Consumer: A mixture of solid alcohols. Can be prepared from sperm whale oil. In medicines, creams, rinses, shampoos, etc. Derivatives: Stearamine Oxide, Stearyl Acetate, Stearyl Caprylate, Stearyl Citrate, Stearyldimethyl Amine, Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate, Stearyl Heptanoate, Stearyl Octanoate, Stearyl Stearate. Alternatives: plant sources, vegetable stearic acid.
Function(s): Emulsion Stabilizer; Fragrance Ingredient; Surfactant - Emulsifying Agent; Surfactant - FoamBooster; Viscosity Increasing Agent - Aqueous; Viscosity Increasing Agent - Nonaqueous; EMOLLIENT; EMULSION STABILISING; FOAM BOOSTING; MASKING; OPACIFYING; REFATTING; VISCOSITY CONTROLLING
Synonym(s): 1-OCTADECANOL; OCTADECAN-1-OL; ADOL 68; ALFOL 18; ATALCO S; CO-1895; CO-1897; CRODACOL-S; DECYL OCTYL ALCOHOL; DYTOL E-46; LOROL 28
Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)
| Concern |
Reference |
|---|
| Human irritant - strong evidence (only for products for use around the eyes, on the skin, or may be aerosolized (airborne)) | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Ecotoxicology
| Concern |
Reference |
|---|
| Suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
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 |
| 255 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical see search results -> | NLM PubMed |
Multiple, additive exposure sources
| Concern |
Reference |
|---|
| Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Everything Added to Food |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
| Concern |
Reference |
|---|
| Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
| Classified as a low human health priority | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
| Concern |
Reference |
|---|
| Not suspected to be persistent | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
| Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Data Sources
| CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC. |
| 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. |
| NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov. |
Products Containing the Ingredient
About the Skin Deep® ratings
EWG provides information on personal care product ingredients from the published scientific literature, to supplement incomplete data available from companies and the government. The ratings below indicate the relative level of concern posed by exposure to the ingredients in this product - not the product itself - compared to other product formulations. The ratings reflect potential health hazards but do not account for the level of exposure or individual susceptibility, factors which determine actual health risks, if any.
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Beyond providing Skin Deep® as an educational tool for consumers, EWG offers its EWG VERIFIED™ mark as a quick and easily identifiable way of conveying personal care products that meet EWG's strict health criteria. Before a company can use EWG VERIFIEDTM on such products, the company must show that it fully discloses the products' ingredients on their labels or packaging, they do not contain EWG ingredients of concern, and are made with good manufacturing practices, among other criteria. Note that EWG receives licensing fees from all EWG VERIFIED member companies that help to support the important work we do.
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