EWG Skin Deep® | What is CARAMEL

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Limited

Caramel

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Other Concerns

SYNONYMS

● CARAMEL COLOR

● CARAMEL

● CARAMEL COLOR

● NATURAL BROWN 10

Restricted

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

Caramel is a concentrated sugary material obtained from heating sucrose or glucose solutions.

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

moisturizer	57 products
sunless tanning	54 products
shampoo	45 products
conditioner	41 products
foundation	22 products
body wash/cleanser	20 products
facial moisturizer/treatment	19 products
styling gel/lotion	18 products
mask	17 products
hair styling aide	15 products
hair treatment/serum	15 products
body firming lotion	15 products
exfoliant/scrub	13 products
brow liner	12 products
facial cleanser	11 products
serums & essences	11 products
anti-aging	10 products
around-eye cream	9 products
daily use with SPF	8 products
mouthwash	7 products
recreational sunscreen	6 products
liquid hand soap	6 products
baby shampoo	5 products
toners/astringents	5 products
bar soap	5 products
beard care	4 products
baby soap	3 products
lip balm	3 products
hair color and bleaching	3 products
makeup primer	3 products
tanning oil	3 products
lip gloss	3 products
hand cream	3 products
bath oil/salts/soak	3 products
styling mousse/foam	2 products
detangler	2 products
shaving cream	1 products
nail treatment	1 products
foot moisturizer	1 products
after shave	1 products
cuticle treatment	1 products
bubble bath	1 products
body oil	1 products

Multiple, additive exposure sources

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food	FDA Everything Added to Food
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food	FDA Food Additive Status

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
Classified as a low human health priority	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List

Informational

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - Color Additives - Exempt from Batch Certification by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration	CTFA International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - Color additive approved by FDA for use in cosmetics	FDA Color Additive Status

Data gaps

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

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.
EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
CTFA (Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association). 2006. International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook, 11th Edition. Color Additive Information. Washington, DC.
FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) 2006. Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Color Additive Status List. September 2006.
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