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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

SYNONYMS

CARBOMER, CARBOMER 934, CARBOMER 934 P, CARBOMER 941, CARBOPOL 910, and 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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moisturizer573 products
mask413 products
facial moisturizer/treatment394 products
hand sanitizer217 products
serums & essences194 products
shampoo189 products
daily use with SPF138 products
hand cream121 products
styling gel/lotion113 products
around-eye cream110 products
exfoliant/scrub87 products
facial cleanser84 products
hair styling aide81 products
hair color and bleaching78 products
recreational sunscreen77 products
body firming lotion70 products
eye shadow68 products
toothpaste57 products
baby lotion55 products
after sun product51 products
conditioner43 products
hair treatment/serum40 products
CC cream37 products
foundation35 products
makeup primer34 products
body wash/cleanser32 products
glitter29 products
anti-aging26 products
makeup remover25 products
tooth whitening24 products
toners/astringents19 products
bronzer/highlighter19 products
foot moisturizer18 products
BB cream16 products
liquid hand soap15 products
after shave14 products
brow liner14 products
baby sunscreen13 products
shaving cream11 products
muscle/joint soreness11 products
body spray10 products
beard care10 products
mascara9 products
eye liner9 products
foot cleansing8 products
eye makeup remover7 products
skin fading/lightener7 products
lip plumper7 products
nail treatment6 products
damaged skin treatment6 products
setting powder/spray6 products
hair spray5 products
blush5 products
facial powder5 products
foot odor control5 products
bar soap5 products
concealer4 products
baby oil4 products
4 products
shaving cream (men's)3 products
body oil3 products
hair removal waxes2 products
cuticle treatment2 products
styling mousse/foam2 products
sunless tanning2 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)2 products
lipstick2 products
lip gloss2 products
baby wipes2 products
mouthwash2 products
eyelash glue2 products
antiperspirant/deodorant2 products
lip balm1 products
depilatory1 products
depilatory (men's)1 products
tanning oil1 products
diaper cream1 products
bubble bath1 products
oil controller1 products
nail polish1 products
polish remover1 products
baby bubble bath1 products
baby shampoo1 products
baby soap1 products
nail glue1 products
detangler1 products
beard cleanser1 products
pore strips1 products
beard oil1 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
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

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

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 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.

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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