Titanium Dioxide
- This ingredient’s score is higher if used in products that are inhalable (e.g., sprays, powders) because of respiratory concerns.
- Products with this ingredient are allowed for use in EWG VERIFIED but must meet use restrictions and warnings based on EWG review of company data.
Other Concerns
Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate) and Occupational hazards (high)SYNONYMS
Restricted
Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation
Titanium dioxide is an inorganic compound used in a range of body care products such as sunscreens and makeup. It appears to have low skin penetration but inhalation is a concern.
Common concerns
See how this product scores for common concerns.
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MODERATECancer
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LOWAllergies & Immunotoxicity
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LOWDevelopmental and Reproductive Toxicity
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LOWUse Restrictions
Ingredient concerns
- CONCERNS
- DATA SOURCES
Products with this Ingredient
foundation | 2971 products |
lipstick | 2585 products |
eye shadow | 1782 products |
concealer | 1427 products |
lip gloss | 1227 products |
blush | 980 products |
bronzer/highlighter | 958 products |
eye liner | 941 products |
nail polish | 843 products |
brow liner | 765 products |
lip balm | 425 products |
lip liner | 416 products |
bar soap | 386 products |
daily use with SPF | 336 products |
toothpaste | 325 products |
mask | 221 products |
mascara | 201 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 188 products |
facial powder | 185 products |
CC cream | 177 products |
makeup primer | 174 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 159 products |
moisturizer | 149 products |
around-eye cream | 144 products |
setting powder/spray | 135 products |
BB cream | 123 products |
shampoo | 122 products |
lip plumper | 122 products |
hair color and bleaching | 106 products |
serums & essences | 85 products |
body wash/cleanser | 71 products |
facial cleanser | 69 products |
conditioner | 58 products |
hair styling aide | 58 products |
bath oil/salts/soak | 53 products |
52 products | |
shaving cream | 43 products |
recreational sunscreen | 41 products |
lip balm with SPF | 38 products |
body oil | 35 products |
hair treatment/serum | 34 products |
glitter | 31 products |
hand cream | 27 products |
styling gel/lotion | 25 products |
nail treatment | 24 products |
anti-aging | 23 products |
tooth whitening | 18 products |
pore strips | 17 products |
sunless tanning | 16 products |
hair removal waxes | 14 products |
depilatory | 13 products |
nail glue | 12 products |
skin fading/lightener | 11 products |
baby soap | 10 products |
shaving cream (men's) | 9 products |
body powder | 9 products |
body art | 8 products |
baby lotion | 8 products |
liquid hand soap | 7 products |
body firming lotion | 7 products |
other eye makeup | 7 products |
body spray | 7 products |
fragrance for women | 6 products |
makeup remover | 5 products |
bubble bath | 5 products |
toners/astringents | 5 products |
mouthwash | 4 products |
hair spray | 4 products |
hand sanitizer | 4 products |
baby toothpaste | 4 products |
eyelash glue | 3 products |
baby sunscreen | 3 products |
damaged skin treatment | 3 products |
fragrance for men | 3 products |
baby shampoo | 3 products |
foot moisturizer | 2 products |
beard care | 2 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant | 1 products |
after sun product | 1 products |
cuticle treatment | 1 products |
foot cleansing | 1 products |
foot odor control | 1 products |
baby bubble bath | 1 products |
beard cleanser | 1 products |
beard oil | 1 products |
Enhanced skin absorption
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Does not cause enhanced penetration | Open scientific literature |
Occupational hazards
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Allowed workplace exposures restricted to low doses | National Library of Medicine HazMap |
Cancer
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Possible human carcinogen | Open scientific literature |
Limited evidence of carcinogenicity | Int'l Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) - Carcinogens |
Limited evidence of carcinogenicity | NIOSH Occupational Carcinogens |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Classified as expected to be toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Classified as medium human health priority | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Decreased skin absorption
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
No absorption into intact skin | Open scientific literature |
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 |
Informational
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - Color additive approved by FDA for use in cosmetics | FDA Color Additive Status |
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - Color Additives - Exempt from Batch Certification by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration | CTFA International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook |
Ecotoxicology
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Data gaps
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
21244 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
- Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
- NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2006. HazMap — Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents.
- IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer). 2008. Overall Evaluations of Carcinogenicity to Humans, as evaluated in IARC Monographs Volumes 1-99 (a total of 935 agents, mixtures and exposures).
- NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health). 2006. NIOSH Carcinogens List (Potential occupational carcinogens). http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npotocca.html.
- 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. Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Color Additive Status List. September 2006.
- CTFA (Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association). 2006. International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook, 11th Edition. Color Additive Information. Washington, DC.
- NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
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.