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Data: Limited

Polysorbate 60

  • Products with the EWG VERIFIED mark have met the program’s impurity and use restrictions based on EWG's review of the company's data.

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Use restrictions (low), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (low), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (low), and Contamination concerns (high)

SYNONYMS

● MONOOCTADECANOATE POLY(OXY-1,2-ETHANEDIYL) DERIVS. SORBITAN
● MONOOCTADECANOATE SORBITAN, POLY(OXY-1,2-ETHANEDIYL) DERIVS
● POLY(OXY-1,2-ETHANEDIYL) DERIVS. SORBITAN, MONOOCTADECANOATE
● POLYOXYETHYLENE (20) SORBITAN MONOSTEARATE
● POLYSORBATE 60
● POLYSORBATE-60
● SORBIMACROGOL STEARATE 300
● SORBITAN, MONOOCTADECANOATE, POLY(OXY-1,2-ETHANEDIYL) DERIVS.
● SORBITAN, MONOOCTADECANOATE, POLY(OXY1,2ETHANEDIYL) DERIVS.

Restricted

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


Polysorbate 60 (Tween-60) is a sorbitol-based emulsifier and surfactant.

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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moisturizer167 products
facial moisturizer/treatment156 products
conditioner130 products
mask82 products
hair treatment/serum70 products
hair styling aide64 products
mascara54 products
serums & essences51 products
eye shadow46 products
daily use with SPF45 products
around-eye cream40 products
exfoliant/scrub37 products
recreational sunscreen35 products
lipstick35 products
hand cream35 products
foundation30 products
BB cream25 products
facial cleanser25 products
hair-loss treatment24 products
sunless tanning22 products
styling gel/lotion19 products
brow liner18 products
baby lotion16 products
makeup primer15 products
lip gloss14 products
body firming lotion13 products
blush13 products
anti-aging11 products
shampoo11 products
bronzer/highlighter8 products
shaving cream (men's)8 products
foot moisturizer7 products
shaving cream6 products
eye liner6 products
detangler6 products
muscle/joint soreness6 products
body wash/cleanser6 products
hair color and bleaching5 products
5 products
after shave5 products
beard care5 products
hair relaxer4 products
foot odor control4 products
bar soap3 products
after sun product3 products
pore strips3 products
eyelash glue3 products
hair spray3 products
cuticle treatment3 products
beard cleanser2 products
antiperspirant/deodorant2 products
other eye makeup2 products
baby sunscreen2 products
tanning oil2 products
damaged skin treatment2 products
toners/astringents2 products
makeup remover2 products
body oil2 products
lip balm with SPF2 products
beard oil1 products
baby shampoo1 products
foot cleansing1 products
bath oil/salts/soak1 products
CC cream1 products
body spray1 products
lip balm1 products
styling mousse/foam1 products
concealer1 products
skin fading/lightener1 products
baby soap1 products

Contamination concerns

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Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Limited evidence of sense organ toxicityScorecard.org Toxicity Information
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

Use restrictions

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - anyOpen scientific literature

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
any irritation - weight of evidence unknown/unassessedOpen scientific literature

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Risk assessment method deficiencies and data gaps - Maximum reported "as used" concentration is basis of safety assessment by industry safety panel (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, CIR) - implicit safe concentration limit in productCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
222 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

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 - anyCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
  • ED (Environmental Defense). 2006. Scorecard _ The Pollution Information Site. http://www.scorecard.org.
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
  • Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
  • CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC.
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
  • 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.

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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