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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED®

Data: Limited

Cetearyl Alcohol

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

SYNONYMS

● (C16-C18) ALKYL ALCOHOL; (C16-C18)-ALKYL ALCOHOL
● 1-OCTADECANOL, MIXT. WITH 1-HEXADECANOL
● ALCOHOLS, C16-18
● ALCOHOLS, C1618
● C16-18 ALCOHOLS
● CETEARYL ALCOHOL
● CETOSTEARYL ALCOHOL
● CETYL/STEARYL ALCOHOL
● MIXT. WITH 1-HEXADECANOL 1-OCTADECANOL
● UNIOX A

Restricted

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

Cetearyl Alcohol is a mixture of cetyl and stearyl alcohols that can come from vegetable or synthetic sources.

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

Expand content Collapse content
conditioner1358 products
moisturizer916 products
facial moisturizer/treatment668 products
hair treatment/serum419 products
mask373 products
hair styling aide317 products
hair color and bleaching298 products
hand cream279 products
recreational sunscreen214 products
around-eye cream180 products
daily use with SPF165 products
facial cleanser139 products
exfoliant/scrub119 products
styling gel/lotion115 products
serums & essences97 products
baby lotion89 products
shampoo85 products
mascara77 products
antiperspirant/deodorant75 products
anti-aging47 products
detangler47 products
body firming lotion43 products
concealer43 products
sunless tanning40 products
brow liner40 products
foot moisturizer34 products
foundation33 products
makeup remover29 products
beard care29 products
baby sunscreen28 products
shaving cream27 products
lipstick27 products
body wash/cleanser23 products
BB cream21 products
muscle/joint soreness20 products
lip balm20 products
makeup primer20 products
after shave18 products
bar soap14 products
hair spray14 products
bronzer/highlighter14 products
14 products
skin fading/lightener13 products
shaving cream (men's)11 products
depilatory11 products
after sun product10 products
damaged skin treatment9 products
nail treatment8 products
styling mousse/foam8 products
foot odor control7 products
foot cleansing6 products
hair relaxer6 products
hair-loss treatment6 products
lip balm with SPF6 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)5 products
toothpaste5 products
cuticle treatment4 products
toners/astringents4 products
diaper cream4 products
blush4 products
hand sanitizer3 products
body oil3 products
tanning oil2 products
liquid hand soap2 products
glitter2 products
baby wipes2 products
baby soap2 products
eye makeup remover2 products
hair removal waxes2 products
lip liner2 products
makeup removing wipes2 products
depilatory (men's)1 products
eye liner1 products
fragrance for women1 products
oil controller1 products
baby oil1 products
lip plumper1 products
bath oil/salts/soak1 products
eye shadow1 products
CC cream1 products
body spray1 products
baby shampoo1 products
beard cleanser1 products
baby bubble bath1 products
beard oil1 products
body cleansing wipes1 products
exfoliant/scrub - large particle1 products

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

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
62 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

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

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

Informational

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - anyCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
  • 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.

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.

Can’t find your product?

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September 23, 2023 | Los Angeles, CA

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