Other Concerns
Enhanced skin absorption, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (moderate), and Biochemical or cellular level changes (low)SYNONYMS
This ingredient is not currently on EWG's Skin Deep Restricted or Unacceptable Lists.
Castor Oil is extracted from the seeds of Ricinus communis, a castor oil plant.
Common concerns
See how this product scores for common concerns.
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LOWCancer
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LOWAllergies & Immunotoxicity
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MODERATEDevelopmental and Reproductive Toxicity
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LOWUse Restrictions
Ingredient concerns
- CONCERNS
- DATA SOURCES
Products with this Ingredient
lipstick | 896 products |
lip balm | 528 products |
lip gloss | 449 products |
bar soap | 216 products |
hair treatment/serum | 213 products |
blush | 199 products |
brow liner | 148 products |
conditioner | 141 products |
shampoo | 139 products |
concealer | 119 products |
hair styling aide | 97 products |
eye shadow | 94 products |
mascara | 90 products |
eye liner | 83 products |
bronzer/highlighter | 76 products |
moisturizer | 71 products |
mask | 60 products |
recreational sunscreen | 60 products |
beard care | 59 products |
facial cleanser | 55 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 54 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 54 products |
beard oil | 53 products |
lip plumper | 50 products |
foundation | 50 products |
lip balm with SPF | 43 products |
body oil | 41 products |
body wash/cleanser | 39 products |
styling gel/lotion | 30 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant | 28 products |
serums & essences | 27 products |
lip liner | 26 products |
liquid hand soap | 25 products |
hair color and bleaching | 20 products |
baby sunscreen | 20 products |
around-eye cream | 18 products |
diaper cream | 17 products |
hand cream | 17 products |
shaving cream (men's) | 15 products |
baby lotion | 14 products |
daily use with SPF | 12 products |
12 products | |
makeup primer | 11 products |
shaving cream | 10 products |
hair removal waxes | 10 products |
bath oil/salts/soak | 10 products |
detangler | 10 products |
foot moisturizer | 8 products |
makeup remover | 8 products |
glitter | 8 products |
BB cream | 8 products |
hair spray | 7 products |
cuticle treatment | 7 products |
fragrance for women | 6 products |
hand sanitizer | 6 products |
nail treatment | 6 products |
anti-aging | 4 products |
depilatory | 3 products |
styling mousse/foam | 3 products |
body firming lotion | 3 products |
baby soap | 3 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's) | 3 products |
damaged skin treatment | 3 products |
hair-loss treatment | 3 products |
beard cleanser | 3 products |
muscle/joint soreness | 2 products |
body spray | 2 products |
foot cleansing | 2 products |
after shave | 2 products |
toothpaste | 2 products |
eye makeup remover | 1 products |
skin fading/lightener | 1 products |
facial powder | 1 products |
bubble bath | 1 products |
mouthwash | 1 products |
CC cream | 1 products |
nail polish | 1 products |
toners/astringents | 1 products |
nail glue | 1 products |
tanning oil | 1 products |
facial cleansing wipes | 1 products |
setting powder/spray | 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 |
---|---|
Limited evidence of reproductive toxicity | Open scientific literature |
One or more animal studies show any effects at moderate doses | Open scientific literature |
Biochemical or cellular level changes
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
One or more animal studies show any changes at moderate doses where the human health implications are not yet well understood | Open scientific literature |
Ecotoxicology
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Uncertain environmental toxin and uncertain persistent or bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Open scientific literature |
Data gaps
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Safety assessment was based on related chemical | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
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 |
1871 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
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 |
Informational
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - any | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Cancer
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Not likely to be carcinogenic in humans | Open scientific literature |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Not suspected to be persistent | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Classified as a low human health priority | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
- CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC.
- Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
- EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
- NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
- 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.
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.