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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED®

Data: Fair

Carbomer

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

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

SYNONYMS

● CARBOMER
● CARBOMER 934
● CARBOMER 934 P
● CARBOMER 941
● CARBOPOL 910
● CARBOXYVINYLPOLYMER

Restricted

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

Carbomer is a large polymeric chemical composed of acrylic acid monomers.

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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moisturizer726 products
facial moisturizer/treatment487 products
mask468 products
serums & essences232 products
shampoo231 products
hand sanitizer179 products
hand cream168 products
styling gel/lotion147 products
around-eye cream138 products
facial cleanser110 products
exfoliant/scrub105 products
hair styling aide95 products
eye shadow88 products
daily use with SPF80 products
toothpaste68 products
recreational sunscreen62 products
hair color and bleaching55 products
after sun product51 products
baby lotion50 products
foundation46 products
hair treatment/serum43 products
makeup primer42 products
conditioner39 products
CC cream35 products
anti-aging32 products
body wash/cleanser31 products
body firming lotion29 products
brow liner28 products
bronzer/highlighter22 products
glitter22 products
foot moisturizer20 products
tooth whitening20 products
toners/astringents20 products
after shave19 products
makeup remover19 products
BB cream16 products
liquid hand soap14 products
muscle/joint soreness12 products
shaving cream11 products
eye liner11 products
mascara10 products
beard care10 products
styling mousse/foam9 products
damaged skin treatment9 products
shaving cream (men's)8 products
nail treatment8 products
hair spray7 products
skin fading/lightener7 products
baby sunscreen7 products
bar soap7 products
7 products
lip plumper7 products
concealer6 products
foot cleansing6 products
facial powder6 products
setting powder/spray6 products
foot odor control5 products
tanning oil4 products
lipstick4 products
baby toothpaste4 products
eyelash glue4 products
antiperspirant/deodorant4 products
eye makeup remover3 products
sunless tanning3 products
other eye makeup3 products
baby soap3 products
hair removal waxes2 products
cuticle treatment2 products
baby oil2 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)2 products
blush2 products
lip gloss2 products
body spray2 products
baby wipes2 products
body oil2 products
makeup removing wipes2 products
baby shampoo2 products
detangler2 products
beard cleanser2 products
lip balm1 products
oil controller1 products
other men's products1 products
baby bubble bath1 products
pore strips1 products
beard oil1 products
facial cleansing wipes1 products

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
any irritation - weight of evidence unknown/unassessedOpen scientific literature

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
2245 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

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Persistence and bioaccumulation

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeEnvironment 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 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
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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September 23, 2023 | Los Angeles, CA

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