Other Concerns
Enhanced skin absorption and Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate)SYNONYMS
This ingredient is not currently on EWG's Skin Deep Restricted or Unacceptable Lists.
Ethanol or ethyl alcohol is considered broadly toxic and linked to birth defects following excessive oral ingestion. Potential risks from ethanol in personal care products are significantly smaller than the health risks posed by the consumption of alcoholic beverages.
Common concerns
See how this product scores for common concerns.
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LOWCancer
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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 | 466 products |
hand sanitizer | 262 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 160 products |
serums & essences | 107 products |
lipstick | 102 products |
mask | 98 products |
mouthwash | 97 products |
fragrance for women | 95 products |
moisturizer | 79 products |
conditioner | 79 products |
brow liner | 65 products |
hair treatment/serum | 65 products |
nail polish | 60 products |
facial cleanser | 59 products |
eye liner | 58 products |
shampoo | 51 products |
toners/astringents | 50 products |
fragrance for men | 47 products |
around-eye cream | 42 products |
hair-loss treatment | 39 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 35 products |
body wash/cleanser | 34 products |
hair styling aide | 33 products |
daily use with SPF | 29 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant | 28 products |
eye shadow | 25 products |
recreational sunscreen | 25 products |
mascara | 23 products |
liquid hand soap | 23 products |
hand cream | 22 products |
body spray | 22 products |
hair spray | 22 products |
toothpaste | 21 products |
sunless tanning | 21 products |
bronzer/highlighter | 21 products |
setting powder/spray | 19 products |
styling gel/lotion | 16 products |
bar soap | 15 products |
anti-aging | 13 products |
after shave | 13 products |
makeup primer | 13 products |
hair color and bleaching | 12 products |
CC cream | 12 products |
tooth whitening | 11 products |
eyelash glue | 10 products |
nail treatment | 9 products |
concealer | 9 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's) | 9 products |
lip balm | 9 products |
blush | 9 products |
baby lotion | 7 products |
bath oil/salts/soak | 7 products |
lip gloss | 6 products |
6 products | |
muscle/joint soreness | 5 products |
styling mousse/foam | 5 products |
body firming lotion | 5 products |
polish remover | 5 products |
after sun product | 5 products |
body oil | 5 products |
foot cleansing | 5 products |
skin fading/lightener | 3 products |
foot moisturizer | 3 products |
shaving cream | 3 products |
BB cream | 3 products |
lip plumper | 3 products |
beard care | 3 products |
body cleansing wipes | 3 products |
detangler | 2 products |
other eye makeup | 2 products |
bubble bath | 2 products |
foot odor control | 2 products |
tanning oil | 2 products |
depilatory | 1 products |
cuticle treatment | 1 products |
baby soap | 1 products |
diaper cream | 1 products |
baby shampoo | 1 products |
makeup remover | 1 products |
facial powder | 1 products |
damaged skin treatment | 1 products |
eye makeup remover | 1 products |
lip liner | 1 products |
baby wipes | 1 products |
other men's products | 1 products |
nail glue | 1 products |
exfoliant/scrub - large particle | 1 products |
Enhanced skin absorption
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Penetration enhancer | Open scientific literature |
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 |
Limited evidence of sense organ toxicity | Scorecard.org Toxicity Information |
Miscellaneous
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Occupational hazards related to handling | CPS&Q - Classification & Labelling |
Ecotoxicology
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Multiple, additive exposure sources
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Food Additive Status |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Data gaps
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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334201 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
- Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
- EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
- ED (Environmental Defense). 2006. Scorecard _ The Pollution Information Site. http://www.scorecard.org.
- CPS&Q (Consumer Products Safety & Quality) formely known as ECB (European Chemicals Bureau). 2008. Classification and Labelling: Chemicals: Annex VI of Directive 67/548/EEC through the 31st ATP.
- 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.
- 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.