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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Fair

Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

SYNONYMS

L-ASCORBIC ACID, ASCORBIC ACID, ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), and VITAMIN C

Restricted

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

Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) is a naturally occurring antioxidant.

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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moisturizer135 products
facial moisturizer/treatment129 products
serums & essences125 products
hair color and bleaching118 products
mask109 products
shampoo85 products
conditioner72 products
exfoliant/scrub68 products
facial cleanser65 products
lipstick64 products
foundation60 products
concealer52 products
daily use with SPF52 products
sunless tanning51 products
hair treatment/serum41 products
body wash/cleanser35 products
around-eye cream34 products
recreational sunscreen29 products
hand cream26 products
toners/astringents24 products
eye liner23 products
CC cream19 products
antiperspirant/deodorant17 products
anti-aging16 products
lip balm with SPF16 products
lip gloss15 products
hair styling aide11 products
setting powder/spray11 products
body firming lotion10 products
makeup remover9 products
lip balm9 products
bubble bath8 products
bath oil/salts/soak8 products
makeup primer8 products
BB cream8 products
after sun product7 products
bronzer/highlighter7 products
baby sunscreen7 products
facial powder6 products
bar soap6 products
blush6 products
6 products
skin fading/lightener5 products
nail treatment5 products
detangler5 products
tanning oil4 products
beard oil4 products
hair spray3 products
styling gel/lotion3 products
liquid hand soap3 products
body spray3 products
mascara3 products
body oil3 products
baby lotion3 products
beard care3 products
eye shadow2 products
mouthwash2 products
styling mousse/foam2 products
after shave2 products
shaving cream2 products
damaged skin treatment2 products
cuticle treatment1 products
brow liner1 products
muscle/joint soreness1 products
eye makeup remover1 products
nail polish1 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)1 products
foot moisturizer1 products
lip plumper1 products
eyelash glue1 products
hair-loss treatment1 products
foot cleansing1 products
polish remover1 products
body powder1 products
baby toothpaste1 products
glitter1 products
beard cleanser1 products
pore strips1 products

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
66172 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

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

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
Classified as a low human health priorityEnvironment 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

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
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodFDA Food Additive Status
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

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.

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WEIGHT-OF-EVIDENCE APPROACH

A product’s hazard score is not an average of the ingredients’ hazard scores. It is calculated using a weight-of-evidence approach that factors in all of the hazards or health impacts associated with the ingredients.

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
NONE

Ingredients have not been assessed.

LIMITED-FAIR

There is only a modest volume of research.

GOOD-ROBUST

Ingredients have been studied extensively.

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