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Data: Fair

Phenethyl Alcohol

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Use restrictions (low)

SYNONYMS

● (2-HYDROXYETHYL)BENZENE
● 2-PHENYLETHANOL
● BENZENEETHANOL
● BENZYL CARBINOL
● BETA-PHENYLETHANOL
● PHENETHYL ALCOHOL
● PHENYL ETHYL ALCOHOL

Restricted

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


Phenethyl Alcohol is an aromatic alcohol.

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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foundation155 products
concealer56 products
facial moisturizer/treatment54 products
serums & essences44 products
shampoo35 products
facial cleanser34 products
moisturizer33 products
brow liner31 products
around-eye cream31 products
eye shadow29 products
mask27 products
daily use with SPF25 products
mascara24 products
recreational sunscreen22 products
conditioner20 products
bronzer/highlighter19 products
exfoliant/scrub18 products
hair treatment/serum17 products
body wash/cleanser14 products
lipstick11 products
toners/astringents9 products
hand cream9 products
CC cream8 products
makeup primer7 products
styling gel/lotion7 products
baby sunscreen7 products
antiperspirant/deodorant6 products
fragrance for men6 products
setting powder/spray6 products
fragrance for women6 products
BB cream5 products
bar soap5 products
hair styling aide5 products
liquid hand soap4 products
baby lotion3 products
baby soap3 products
hair spray3 products
lip balm3 products
3 products
baby shampoo3 products
eye makeup remover2 products
styling mousse/foam2 products
body oil2 products
after sun product2 products
body spray2 products
anti-aging2 products
makeup remover2 products
body firming lotion2 products
pore strips1 products
baby wipes1 products
beard oil1 products
hair removal waxes1 products
bath oil/salts/soak1 products
baby bubble bath1 products
muscle/joint soreness1 products
detangler1 products

Use restrictions

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - Safe for use in cosmetics with some qualificationsCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment 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 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 - Determined safe for use in cosmetics up to a specified concentration limitCosmetic 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

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

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
11456 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed
  • 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.
  • 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.

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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