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CASTOR OIL
Score:
Data: Fair
- Other Concerns
- Functions
- About the Chemical
- Synonyms
-
Enhanced skin absorption and Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (moderate)
Cancer 
Cancer: Ingredients linked to cancer in government, industry or academic studies or assessments.
Developmental & Reproductive Toxicity
Developmental and reproductive toxicity: Ingredients linked to developmental and reproductive toxicity, a broad class of health effects that range from infertility and reproductive organ cancers to birth defects and developmental delays in children.
Allergies & Immunotoxicity
Allergies and immunotoxicity: Ingredients linked to harm to the immune system, a class of health problems that manifest as allergic reactions or an impaired capacity to fight disease and repair damaged tissue in the body.
Products with this Ingredient
| lipstick | 779 products |
| lip gloss | 306 products |
| lip balm | 285 products |
| hair treatment/serum | 97 products |
| blush | 93 products |
| concealer | 92 products |
| bronzer/highlighter | 79 products |
| conditioner | 74 products |
| foundation | 74 products |
| eye liner | 67 products |
| shampoo | 62 products |
| moisturizer | 59 products |
| bar soap | 58 products |
| facial cleanser | 57 products |
| eye shadow | 56 products |
| hair styling aide | 51 products |
| recreational sunscreen | 45 products |
| mask | 44 products |
| lip balm with SPF | 41 products |
| exfoliant/scrub | 41 products |
| brow liner | 40 products |
| lip liner | 39 products |
| mascara | 37 products |
| body wash/cleanser | 35 products |
| facial moisturizer/treatment | 32 products |
| beard care | 28 products |
| diaper cream | 27 products |
| body oil | 23 products |
| styling gel/lotion | 22 products |
| lip plumper | 22 products |
| beard oil | 20 products |
| shaving cream (men's) | 19 products |
| fragrance for women | 18 products |
| serums & essences | 17 products |
| daily use with SPF | 17 products |
| around-eye cream | 16 products |
| baby sunscreen | 14 products |
| hand cream | 13 products |
| hair color and bleaching | 12 products |
| antiperspirant/deodorant | 10 products |
| other eye makeup | 9 products |
| makeup primer | 8 products |
| 7 products | |
| shaving cream | 6 products |
| muscle/joint soreness | 6 products |
| foot moisturizer | 6 products |
| vapor rubs | 6 products |
| baby lotion | 6 products |
| body firming lotion | 6 products |
| liquid hand soap | 6 products |
| makeup remover | 5 products |
| bath oil/salts/soak | 5 products |
| anti-aging | 5 products |
| BB cream | 4 products |
| baby oil | 3 products |
| nail treatment | 3 products |
| cuticle treatment | 3 products |
| baby soap | 3 products |
| bubble bath | 3 products |
| detangler | 3 products |
| beard cleanser | 3 products |
| styling mousse/foam | 2 products |
| glitter | 2 products |
| hand sanitizer | 2 products |
| facial powder | 2 products |
| fragrance for men | 2 products |
| eye makeup remover | 1 products |
| foot cleansing | 1 products |
| antiperspirant/deodorant (men's) | 1 products |
| damaged skin treatment | 1 products |
Enhanced skin absorption
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Penetration enhancer | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Human any irritant - strong evidence | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Developmental/reproductive toxicity
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Female rats injected with castor oil after estus had anti-implantation and abortive effects. An extract is also found to have anti-implatation, anti-conceptive and estrogenic effects in rats and mice. | CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review) 2007. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC. |
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 |
| Safety assessment was based on related chemical | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
| 1871 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
Ecotoxicology
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Uncertain environmental toxin and uncertain persistent or bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Multiple, additive exposure sources
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Food Additive Status |
| Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Everything Added to Food |
Informational
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - any | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
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 |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Not suspected to be persistent | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
| Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Data Sources
- CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC.
- CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review) 2007. 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.
ABOUT THE SKIN DEEP® RATINGS
EWG provides information on personal care product ingredients from the published scientific literature, to supplement incomplete data available from companies and the government. The ratings below indicate the relative level of concern posed by exposure to the ingredients in this product - not the product itself - compared to other product formulations. The ratings reflect potential health hazards but do not account for the level of exposure or individual susceptibility, factors which determine actual health risks, if any. Learn more | Legal Disclaimer
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