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Data: Fair

Castor Oil

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Enhanced skin absorption, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (moderate), and Biochemical or cellular level changes (low)

SYNONYMS

● CASTER OIL
● CASTOR OIL
● CASTOR OIL (RICINUS COMMUNIS L.)
● CASTOR OIL; VEGETABLE OIL
● CASTOR SEED OIL
● RICINUS COMMUNIS (CASTOR) SEED OIL
● RICINUS COMMUNIS OIL
● RICINUS COMMUNIS(CASTOR)

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.

  • LOW
    Cancer
  • LOW
    Allergies & Immunotoxicity
  • MODERATE
    Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
  • LOW
    Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

Expand content Collapse content
lipstick806 products
lip balm485 products
lip gloss412 products
bar soap223 products
blush223 products
hair treatment/serum185 products
brow liner151 products
shampoo144 products
concealer133 products
conditioner130 products
eye shadow104 products
bronzer/highlighter99 products
hair styling aide97 products
mascara91 products
eye liner84 products
moisturizer71 products
facial moisturizer/treatment59 products
recreational sunscreen59 products
foundation57 products
mask50 products
facial cleanser49 products
lip balm with SPF46 products
exfoliant/scrub44 products
beard oil43 products
body wash/cleanser41 products
body oil37 products
lip liner36 products
beard care35 products
styling gel/lotion33 products
lip plumper30 products
antiperspirant/deodorant30 products
serums & essences26 products
liquid hand soap26 products
baby sunscreen20 products
diaper cream19 products
around-eye cream17 products
baby lotion17 products
hand cream14 products
hair removal waxes12 products
hair color and bleaching12 products
daily use with SPF12 products
BB cream11 products
hair spray10 products
makeup remover9 products
bath oil/salts/soak9 products
fragrance for women9 products
cuticle treatment9 products
makeup primer9 products
9 products
shaving cream8 products
glitter8 products
detangler7 products
foot moisturizer5 products
shaving cream (men's)5 products
hand sanitizer5 products
nail treatment5 products
anti-aging4 products
body firming lotion4 products
baby soap4 products
nail polish4 products
depilatory3 products
styling mousse/foam3 products
body spray3 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)3 products
damaged skin treatment3 products
hair-loss treatment3 products
foot cleansing2 products
after shave2 products
toothpaste2 products
muscle/joint soreness1 products
eye makeup remover1 products
skin fading/lightener1 products
facial powder1 products
baby shampoo1 products
bubble bath1 products
mouthwash1 products
fragrance for men1 products
CC cream1 products
eyelash glue1 products
beard cleanser1 products
nail glue1 products
tanning oil1 products
facial cleansing wipes1 products
setting powder/spray1 products

Enhanced skin absorption

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Penetration enhancerCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Human any irritant - strong evidenceCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Developmental/reproductive toxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Limited evidence of reproductive toxicityOpen scientific literature
One or more animal studies show any effects at moderate dosesOpen scientific literature

Biochemical or cellular level changes

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CONCERN REFERENCE
One or more animal studies show any changes at moderate doses where the human health implications are not yet well understoodOpen 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
Safety assessment was based on related chemicalCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
1871 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Uncertain environmental toxin and uncertain persistent or bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinOpen scientific literature

Persistence and bioaccumulation

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Not suspected to be persistentEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as a low human health priorityEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Cancer

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not likely to be carcinogenic in humansOpen scientific literature

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

Multiple, additive exposure sources

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodFDA Everything Added to Food
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodFDA Food Additive Status
  • 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
  • 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). 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 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

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

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