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Data: Limited

Stearyl Alcohol

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (moderate)

SYNONYMS

● 1-OCTADECANOL
● OCTADECAN-1-OL
● STEARYL ALCOHOL

Restricted

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


Stearyl alcohol is a compound produced from stearic acid, a naturally occurring fatty acid.

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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conditioner566 products
antiperspirant/deodorant287 products
moisturizer267 products
facial moisturizer/treatment186 products
hair treatment/serum142 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)116 products
hand cream81 products
shampoo68 products
hair color and bleaching67 products
mask65 products
hair styling aide63 products
daily use with SPF52 products
around-eye cream48 products
facial cleanser46 products
exfoliant/scrub33 products
recreational sunscreen28 products
foundation25 products
concealer23 products
serums & essences23 products
body firming lotion22 products
baby lotion21 products
shaving cream21 products
hair-loss treatment21 products
styling gel/lotion13 products
anti-aging12 products
CC cream12 products
brow liner12 products
foot moisturizer9 products
after shave9 products
detangler9 products
bar soap9 products
sunless tanning7 products
BB cream7 products
lipstick7 products
7 products
body wash/cleanser6 products
mascara5 products
baby sunscreen5 products
beard care5 products
lip balm4 products
after sun product4 products
shaving cream (men's)4 products
styling mousse/foam4 products
toners/astringents4 products
hand sanitizer3 products
facial cleansing wipes3 products
cuticle treatment2 products
damaged skin treatment2 products
diaper cream1 products
makeup remover1 products
depilatory1 products
muscle/joint soreness1 products
nail treatment1 products
makeup primer1 products
hair spray1 products
lip balm with SPF1 products
hair relaxer1 products
liquid hand soap1 products
setting powder/spray1 products
beard cleanser1 products
foot cleansing1 products
other men's products1 products
tanning oil1 products

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Human any irritant - strong evidenceCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment 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
255 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 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

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Classified as a low human health priorityEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Persistence and bioaccumulation

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be persistentEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
  • 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.
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
  • 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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