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Data: Fair

Beta Carotene

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

SEARCH PRODUCTS

Other Concerns

Persistence and bioaccumulation (moderate) and Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate)

SYNONYMS

● B,BCAROTENE
● B-CAROTENE
● BETA CAROTENE
● BETA,BETA-CAROTENE
● BETA-CAROTENE
● FOOD ORANGE 5
● NATURAL YELLOW 26

Restricted

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


Beta carotene is a carotenoid compound prepared synthetically or obtained from natural sources; can be used as a pigment with a strong red-orange color. In the human body, beta carotene is converted to Vitamin A.

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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CC cream41 products
facial moisturizer/treatment29 products
daily use with SPF28 products
moisturizer27 products
serums & essences14 products
foundation13 products
mask13 products
hair treatment/serum10 products
facial cleanser8 products
bar soap8 products
lip balm7 products
around-eye cream6 products
body wash/cleanser4 products
styling gel/lotion4 products
body oil3 products
shampoo3 products
anti-aging3 products
toners/astringents3 products
lip gloss2 products
lip plumper2 products
exfoliant/scrub2 products
recreational sunscreen2 products
makeup remover2 products
cuticle treatment2 products
beard oil1 products
makeup primer1 products
hair color and bleaching1 products
mascara1 products
nail treatment1 products
bath oil/salts/soak1 products
lip balm with SPF1 products
hair removal waxes1 products
BB cream1 products
hair styling aide1 products
beard cleanser1 products
tanning oil1 products
facial cleansing wipes1 products
baby oil1 products
after sun product1 products

Persistence and bioaccumulation

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Persistent or bioaccumulative and moderate to high toxicity concern in humansEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Suspected to be an environmental toxin and be persistent or bioaccumulative (uncertainty in environmental toxicity or persistence/bioaccumulation)Environment Canada Domestic Substance List
Uncertain environmental toxin and uncertain persistent or bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

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

Informational

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - Color additive approved by FDA for use in cosmeticsFDA 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 AdministrationCTFA International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
11050 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
  • 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.
  • 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 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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