Other Concerns
Use restrictions (low)SYNONYMS
This ingredient is not currently on EWG's Skin Deep Restricted or Unacceptable Lists.
Shea butter is a vegetable fat obtained from the fruit of a tree native to Africa, Butyrospermum parkii. Shea butter is primarily composed of fatty acids such as stearic and oleic acids.
Common concerns
See how this product scores for common concerns.
-
LOWCancer
-
LOWAllergies & Immunotoxicity
-
LOWDevelopmental and Reproductive Toxicity
-
LOWUse Restrictions
Ingredient concerns
- CONCERNS
- DATA SOURCES
Products with this Ingredient
moisturizer | 1228 products |
lipstick | 654 products |
lip balm | 537 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 529 products |
conditioner | 506 products |
bar soap | 505 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 358 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant | 337 products |
lip gloss | 308 products |
hand cream | 276 products |
shampoo | 274 products |
mask | 250 products |
foundation | 239 products |
recreational sunscreen | 225 products |
concealer | 219 products |
body wash/cleanser | 216 products |
hair treatment/serum | 213 products |
hair styling aide | 159 products |
around-eye cream | 156 products |
blush | 153 products |
facial cleanser | 116 products |
baby lotion | 108 products |
bath oil/salts/soak | 98 products |
beard care | 81 products |
daily use with SPF | 77 products |
liquid hand soap | 71 products |
serums & essences | 68 products |
bronzer/highlighter | 67 products |
eye shadow | 66 products |
styling gel/lotion | 63 products |
lip liner | 59 products |
shaving cream | 55 products |
lip balm with SPF | 53 products |
brow liner | 52 products |
baby sunscreen | 45 products |
anti-aging | 42 products |
foot moisturizer | 42 products |
eye liner | 37 products |
body firming lotion | 36 products |
mascara | 36 products |
baby soap | 35 products |
makeup primer | 34 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's) | 28 products |
lip plumper | 26 products |
baby shampoo | 26 products |
damaged skin treatment | 26 products |
diaper cream | 25 products |
fragrance for women | 24 products |
shaving cream (men's) | 23 products |
sunless tanning | 23 products |
hair color and bleaching | 23 products |
detangler | 22 products |
after sun product | 17 products |
17 products | |
after shave | 14 products |
bubble bath | 14 products |
body oil | 14 products |
hand sanitizer | 13 products |
hair spray | 11 products |
muscle/joint soreness | 10 products |
styling mousse/foam | 10 products |
makeup remover | 9 products |
baby bubble bath | 8 products |
skin fading/lightener | 7 products |
CC cream | 7 products |
beard oil | 7 products |
beard cleanser | 7 products |
nail treatment | 6 products |
hair relaxer | 6 products |
foot odor control | 6 products |
setting powder/spray | 6 products |
cuticle treatment | 5 products |
baby oil | 4 products |
foot cleansing | 4 products |
nail polish | 4 products |
facial powder | 4 products |
toners/astringents | 4 products |
BB cream | 3 products |
tanning oil | 2 products |
baby wipes | 1 products |
hair-loss treatment | 1 products |
hair removal waxes | 1 products |
body spray | 1 products |
glitter | 1 products |
eye makeup remover | 1 products |
toothpaste | 1 products |
facial cleansing wipes | 1 products |
Allergies/immunotoxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
any or allergies - weight of evidence unknown/unassessed | Open scientific literature |
Use restrictions
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - Safe for use in cosmetics with some qualifications | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Data gaps
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 product | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
54 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
Informational
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - any | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
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
- 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.
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 SCORESHazard 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.