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Data: Limited

Butylene Glycol

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (moderate)

SYNONYMS

● 1,3-BUTANEDIOL
● 1,3-BUTYLENE GLYCOL
● 1,3-DIHYDROXYBUTANE
● 1,3BUTANEDIOL
● 3-HYDROXY-1-BUTANOL
● ACEROLA EXTRACT BG-25
● BUTANE-1,3-DIOL
● BUTYLENE GLYCOL
● DIOSCOREA COMPOSITA EXTRACT BG
● PHYTO COLLAGE BD-II
● QUILLAJA EXTRACT BG
● ROSE APPLE LEAF EXTRACT BG-30

This ingredient is not currently on EWG's Skin Deep Restricted or Unacceptable Lists.


Butylene glycol (1.3-Butanediol) is a small organic alcohol used as solvent and conditioning agent.

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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foundation1145 products
concealer685 products
mask655 products
facial moisturizer/treatment609 products
serums & essences399 products
moisturizer320 products
eye liner240 products
around-eye cream236 products
conditioner233 products
daily use with SPF228 products
facial cleanser219 products
shampoo214 products
mascara208 products
lipstick191 products
hair treatment/serum186 products
CC cream171 products
brow liner140 products
toners/astringents131 products
hair styling aide128 products
makeup primer118 products
exfoliant/scrub114 products
eye shadow112 products
blush100 products
bronzer/highlighter86 products
lip gloss82 products
BB cream78 products
recreational sunscreen77 products
setting powder/spray65 products
anti-aging63 products
nail polish60 products
hand cream53 products
makeup remover52 products
lip balm51 products
hair color and bleaching50 products
styling gel/lotion48 products
body wash/cleanser47 products
lip plumper46 products
body spray46 products
hair spray39 products
39 products
hand sanitizer33 products
sunless tanning30 products
body firming lotion26 products
eyelash glue25 products
bar soap21 products
pore strips18 products
after shave18 products
antiperspirant/deodorant18 products
skin fading/lightener15 products
foot moisturizer14 products
styling mousse/foam14 products
facial cleansing wipes13 products
nail treatment11 products
foot cleansing10 products
other eye makeup10 products
facial powder9 products
lip liner9 products
glitter9 products
eye makeup remover8 products
makeup removing wipes7 products
cuticle treatment6 products
baby lotion6 products
fragrance for women6 products
detangler6 products
foot odor control6 products
baby shampoo5 products
bath oil/salts/soak5 products
shaving cream5 products
after sun product5 products
damaged skin treatment5 products
liquid hand soap5 products
fragrance for men5 products
body art5 products
baby soap4 products
tanning oil4 products
body oil4 products
beard care4 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)3 products
shaving cream (men's)3 products
hair-loss treatment3 products
baby sunscreen3 products
polish remover3 products
baby wipes3 products
body cleansing wipes3 products
beard cleanser3 products
depilatory1 products
muscle/joint soreness1 products
hair removal waxes1 products
bubble bath1 products
mouthwash1 products
beard oil1 products

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Human any irritant - strong evidenceCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

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
312 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

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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