EWG Skin Deep® | What is 4-METHYLBENZYLIDENE CAMPHOR

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Fair

4 Methylbenzylidene Camphor

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Use restrictions (high), Endocrine disruption (moderate), and Persistence and bioaccumulation (moderate)

SYNONYMS

(±)-1,7,7-TRIMETHYL-3-[(4-METHYLPHENYL)METHYLENE]BICYCLO[2.2.1]HEPTAN-2-ONE, 1,7,7-TRIMETHYL-3-[(4-METHYLPHENYL)METHYLENE]- BICYCLO[2.2.1]HEPTAN-2-ONE, 1,7,7-TRIMETHYL-3-[(4-METHYLPHENYL)METHYLENE]BICYCLO[2.2.1]HEPTAN-2-ONE, 3-(4-METHYLBENZYLIDENE)-DL-CAMPHOR, 4-METHYL-3-BENZYLIDINE CAMPHOR, 4-METHYLBENZYLIDENE CAMPHOR, 4-METHYLBENZYLIDINE CAMPHOR, 4MBC, BICYCLO(2.2.1)HEPTAN-2-ONE, 1,7,7-TRIMETHYL-3-[(4-METHYLPHENYL)METHYLENE]-, BICYCLO[2.2.1]HEPTAN-2-ONE, 1,7,7-TRIMETHYL-3-[(4-METHYLPHENYL)METHYLENE]-, ENACAMENE, EUSOLEX 6300, and MBC

Unacceptable

Unacceptable: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient

A UV filter not approved as an active ingredient for sunscreen in the U.S., but listed as an inactive ingredient in some products. European researchers cite concerns over thyroid toxicity, hormone disruption, and recommend the chemical not be used in sunscreen.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

LOW

Cancer
LOW

Allergies & Immunotoxicity
MODERATE

Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
HIGH

Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

CONCERNS
DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

daily use with SPF

1 products

Enhanced skin absorption

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Absorbs into the skin	Open scientific literature

Use restrictions

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Violation of government restrictions - Restricted in cosmetics; use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - any	Open scientific literature

Endocrine disruption

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Human endocrine disruptor - strong evidence	European Commission on Endocrine Disruption
Limited evidence of any disruption	Open scientific literature
Associated with endocrine disruption	Open scientific literature

Persistence and bioaccumulation

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Persistent, bioaccumulative in wildlife	OSPAR PBTs - Substances of Possible Concern
Persistent, bioaccumulative in wildlife	Emerging PBTs from peer-reviewed literature
Ingredient is suspected or measured to accumulate in people	Open scientific literature
Not suspected to be persistent	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List

Developmental/reproductive toxicity

CONCERN	REFERENCE
One or more animal studies show any effects at very low doses	Open scientific literature
One or more animal studies show developmental effects at low doses	Open scientific literature
Limited evidence of developmental toxicity	Open scientific literature

Data gaps

CONCERN	REFERENCE
4773 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical	NLM PubMed

Ecotoxicology

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

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List

Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
EU (European Union)- Strategy for Endocrine Disrupters 2007. Commision on endocrin disruption requested by the European Parliament in 1998.
OSPAR (Oslo-Paris). 2002. OSPAR List of Substances of Possible Concern. Secondary OSPAR List of Substances of Possible Concern. Secondary OSPAR. Place Published, OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environement of North-East Atlanic.
Emerging PBTs from peer-reviewed literature
EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
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.

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