Other Concerns
Use restrictions (high), Neurotoxicity (low), Endocrine disruption (low), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate), and Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (low)SYNONYMS
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.
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LOWCancer
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HIGHAllergies & Immunotoxicity
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LOWDevelopmental and Reproductive Toxicity
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HIGHUse Restrictions
Ingredient concerns
- CONCERNS
- DATA SOURCES
Products with this Ingredient
conditioner | 806 products |
shampoo | 303 products |
hair treatment/serum | 291 products |
hair styling aide | 145 products |
mask | 92 products |
hair color and bleaching | 88 products |
detangler | 52 products |
hair spray | 41 products |
styling mousse/foam | 41 products |
styling gel/lotion | 41 products |
liquid hand soap | 39 products |
body wash/cleanser | 32 products |
moisturizer | 11 products |
beard care | 8 products |
toners/astringents | 8 products |
beard cleanser | 7 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 6 products |
facial cleanser | 5 products |
hand sanitizer | 4 products |
hair relaxer | 3 products |
hair-loss treatment | 3 products |
3 products | |
makeup remover | 2 products |
makeup primer | 2 products |
body cleansing wipes | 2 products |
baby shampoo | 1 products |
foundation | 1 products |
blush | 1 products |
bubble bath | 1 products |
lipstick | 1 products |
depilatory | 1 products |
serums & essences | 1 products |
foot cleansing | 1 products |
hair removal waxes | 1 products |
sunless tanning | 1 products |
body spray | 1 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 1 products |
anti-aging | 1 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant | 1 products |
eye makeup remover | 1 products |
shaving cream | 1 products |
Allergies/immunotoxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Known human any toxicant or allergen | Open scientific literature |
Human skin toxicant or allergen - strong evidence | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Possible human any toxicant or allergen | Open scientific literature |
Human any toxicant or allergen - strong evidence | Open scientific literature |
Use restrictions
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Violation of government restrictions - Restricted in cosmetics; use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - any | Open scientific literature |
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - Safe for use in cosmetics with some qualifications | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Possible human any toxicant | Open scientific literature |
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Developmental/reproductive toxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
One or more animal studies show any effects at moderate doses | Open scientific literature |
Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
any irritation - weight of evidence unknown/unassessed | Open scientific literature |
Neurotoxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
One or more in vitro tests on mammalian cells demonstrate neurotoxicity | Open scientific literature |
Endocrine disruption
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Associated with endocrine disruption | Open scientific literature |
Ecotoxicology
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Suspected to be an environmental toxin | 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 gaps
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
2042 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM 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 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.