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Data: Fair

Cetrimonium Chloride

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Use restrictions (high), Neurotoxicity (low), Endocrine disruption (low), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate), and Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (low)

SYNONYMS

● 1-HEXADECANAMINIUM, N,N,N-TRIMETHYL-, CHLORIDE
● 1HEXADECANAMINIUM, N,N,NTRIMETHYL, CHLORIDE
● CETRIMONIUM CHLORIDE
● CETYL TRIMETHYL AMMONIUM CHLORIDE
● CHLORIDE 1-HEXADECANAMINIUM, N,N,N-TRIMETHYL-
● HEXADECYLTRIMETHYLAMMONIUM CHLORIDE
● N,N,N-TRIMETHYL- CHLORIDE 1-HEXADECANAMINIUM
● N,N,N-TRIMETHYL-1-HEXADECANAMINIUM CHLORIDE

Unacceptable

Unacceptable: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient


Cetrimonium chloride is a quaternary ammonium compound used as a preservative.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

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

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

Expand content Collapse content
conditioner806 products
shampoo303 products
hair treatment/serum291 products
hair styling aide145 products
mask92 products
hair color and bleaching88 products
detangler52 products
hair spray41 products
styling mousse/foam41 products
styling gel/lotion41 products
liquid hand soap39 products
body wash/cleanser32 products
moisturizer11 products
beard care8 products
toners/astringents8 products
beard cleanser7 products
exfoliant/scrub6 products
facial cleanser5 products
hand sanitizer4 products
hair relaxer3 products
hair-loss treatment3 products
3 products
makeup remover2 products
makeup primer2 products
body cleansing wipes2 products
baby shampoo1 products
foundation1 products
blush1 products
bubble bath1 products
lipstick1 products
depilatory1 products
serums & essences1 products
foot cleansing1 products
hair removal waxes1 products
sunless tanning1 products
body spray1 products
facial moisturizer/treatment1 products
anti-aging1 products
antiperspirant/deodorant1 products
eye makeup remover1 products
shaving cream1 products

Allergies/immunotoxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Known human any toxicant or allergenOpen scientific literature
Human skin toxicant or allergen - strong evidenceCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
Possible human any toxicant or allergenOpen scientific literature
Human any toxicant or allergen - strong evidenceOpen scientific literature

Use restrictions

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Violation of government restrictions - Restricted in cosmetics; use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - anyOpen scientific literature
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - Safe for use in cosmetics with some qualificationsCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Possible human any toxicantOpen scientific literature
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Developmental/reproductive toxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
One or more animal studies show any effects at moderate dosesOpen scientific literature

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
any irritation - weight of evidence unknown/unassessedOpen scientific literature

Neurotoxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
One or more in vitro tests on mammalian cells demonstrate neurotoxicityOpen scientific literature

Endocrine disruption

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Associated with endocrine disruptionOpen scientific literature

Ecotoxicology

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

Persistence and bioaccumulation

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

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
2042 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed
  • Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
  • CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC.
  • 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.

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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