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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)
● 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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hair color and bleaching315 products
moisturizer153 products
facial moisturizer/treatment136 products
serums & essences120 products
shampoo114 products
conditioner103 products
mask102 products
exfoliant/scrub87 products
body wash/cleanser61 products
sunless tanning61 products
foundation61 products
facial cleanser57 products
hair treatment/serum56 products
around-eye cream47 products
recreational sunscreen35 products
daily use with SPF33 products
hand cream28 products
eye liner25 products
anti-aging23 products
hair styling aide19 products
toners/astringents15 products
hair spray13 products
lip balm11 products
bronzer/highlighter10 products
blush10 products
lipstick10 products
after sun product9 products
makeup remover8 products
facial powder8 products
skin fading/lightener7 products
styling gel/lotion7 products
bubble bath7 products
bath oil/salts/soak7 products
lip balm with SPF7 products
makeup primer7 products
antiperspirant/deodorant6 products
bar soap6 products
liquid hand soap6 products
concealer5 products
nail treatment5 products
body firming lotion5 products
body spray5 products
lip gloss4 products
BB cream4 products
baby sunscreen4 products
damaged skin treatment4 products
setting powder/spray4 products
foot moisturizer3 products
tanning oil3 products
baby lotion3 products
mouthwash2 products
eye makeup remover2 products
toothpaste2 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)2 products
detangler2 products
mascara2 products
makeup removing wipes2 products
eye shadow1 products
brow liner1 products
nail polish1 products
depilatory1 products
shaving cream1 products
eyelash glue1 products
fragrance for women1 products
body oil1 products
hair-loss treatment1 products
CC cream1 products
1 products
foot cleansing1 products
polish remover1 products
baby toothpaste1 products
beard cleanser1 products
nail glue1 products
pore strips1 products
vapor rubs1 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

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 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

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
  • 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) 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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