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Data: Fair

Xanthan Gum

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns


SYNONYMS

● CORN SUGAR GUM
● POLYSACCHARIDE B 1459
● XANTHAN
● XANTHAN GUM

Restricted

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


Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide, a sugar-based polymer produced by bacteria; it is used as a viscosity agent in personal care products and foods.

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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facial moisturizer/treatment849 products
mask663 products
serums & essences578 products
moisturizer561 products
toothpaste347 products
facial cleanser345 products
foundation335 products
recreational sunscreen253 products
daily use with SPF240 products
around-eye cream234 products
hand cream176 products
body wash/cleanser171 products
exfoliant/scrub168 products
mascara155 products
concealer138 products
shampoo121 products
brow liner100 products
eye liner92 products
hair treatment/serum82 products
eye shadow70 products
anti-aging69 products
baby lotion67 products
makeup primer64 products
blush63 products
bronzer/highlighter55 products
hair color and bleaching53 products
toners/astringents51 products
sunless tanning48 products
conditioner46 products
BB cream45 products
body firming lotion44 products
baby wipes40 products
hair styling aide35 products
antiperspirant/deodorant33 products
liquid hand soap33 products
baby shampoo27 products
baby soap25 products
lipstick25 products
styling gel/lotion24 products
after shave21 products
after sun product21 products
foot moisturizer20 products
makeup remover20 products
lip gloss20 products
baby sunscreen20 products
skin fading/lightener19 products
19 products
baby toothpaste17 products
muscle/joint soreness16 products
lip balm15 products
tooth whitening12 products
nail polish9 products
baby bubble bath9 products
bath oil/salts/soak9 products
damaged skin treatment8 products
beard cleanser8 products
bar soap7 products
shaving cream6 products
bubble bath6 products
CC cream6 products
tanning oil6 products
nail treatment5 products
shaving cream (men's)5 products
hair spray5 products
hand sanitizer5 products
body oil5 products
eyelash glue5 products
setting powder/spray5 products
mouthwash4 products
lip plumper4 products
beard care4 products
body cleansing wipes4 products
cuticle treatment3 products
fragrance for women3 products
diaper cream3 products
styling mousse/foam3 products
detangler3 products
other eye makeup3 products
body spray3 products
foot odor control3 products
makeup removing wipes3 products
foot cleansing2 products
oil controller2 products
hair-loss treatment2 products
eye makeup remover1 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)1 products
lip balm with SPF1 products
pore strips1 products
hair removal waxes1 products
facial cleansing wipes1 products

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

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
1095 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

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

Informational

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - anyOpen scientific literature
  • 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.
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
  • Open scientific/peer reviewed literature

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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