Other Concerns
Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate)SYNONYMS
This ingredient is not currently on EWG's Skin Deep Restricted or Unacceptable Lists.
Cetyl alcohol is a long chain organic alcohol; according to the PETA's Caring Consumer guide, this ingredient can be of either animal or plant origin.
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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LOWDevelopmental and Reproductive Toxicity
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LOWUse Restrictions
Ingredient concerns
- CONCERNS
- DATA SOURCES
Products with this Ingredient
moisturizer | 967 products |
conditioner | 952 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 510 products |
hair treatment/serum | 254 products |
hand cream | 231 products |
mask | 168 products |
shampoo | 166 products |
hair color and bleaching | 161 products |
hair styling aide | 121 products |
around-eye cream | 116 products |
recreational sunscreen | 115 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 112 products |
daily use with SPF | 109 products |
facial cleanser | 99 products |
foundation | 91 products |
baby lotion | 70 products |
mascara | 70 products |
lipstick | 65 products |
body firming lotion | 63 products |
lip balm | 59 products |
serums & essences | 54 products |
concealer | 47 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant | 41 products |
styling gel/lotion | 40 products |
anti-aging | 37 products |
brow liner | 36 products |
shaving cream | 32 products |
bar soap | 29 products |
foot moisturizer | 27 products |
body wash/cleanser | 26 products |
lip gloss | 26 products |
BB cream | 24 products |
hair-loss treatment | 24 products |
eye shadow | 23 products |
baby sunscreen | 23 products |
lip balm with SPF | 21 products |
eye liner | 17 products |
sunless tanning | 16 products |
detangler | 16 products |
after sun product | 15 products |
makeup primer | 15 products |
shaving cream (men's) | 15 products |
after shave | 14 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's) | 14 products |
CC cream | 14 products |
beard care | 13 products |
blush | 11 products |
muscle/joint soreness | 9 products |
makeup remover | 5 products |
toners/astringents | 5 products |
bronzer/highlighter | 5 products |
damaged skin treatment | 5 products |
5 products | |
cuticle treatment | 4 products |
baby shampoo | 4 products |
liquid hand soap | 4 products |
nail treatment | 4 products |
tanning oil | 4 products |
diaper cream | 3 products |
styling mousse/foam | 3 products |
lip liner | 3 products |
hair relaxer | 3 products |
hand sanitizer | 3 products |
baby oil | 3 products |
fragrance for women | 2 products |
skin fading/lightener | 2 products |
nail polish | 2 products |
depilatory | 1 products |
oil controller | 1 products |
foot cleansing | 1 products |
hair spray | 1 products |
baby soap | 1 products |
eye makeup remover | 1 products |
facial powder | 1 products |
beard cleanser | 1 products |
setting powder/spray | 1 products |
baby bubble bath | 1 products |
beard oil | 1 products |
glitter | 1 products |
nail glue | 1 products |
facial cleansing wipes | 1 products |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Classified as expected to be toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Classified as medium human health priority | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Ecotoxicology
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Data gaps
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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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 |
740 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
Multiple, additive exposure sources
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Everything Added to Food |
Informational
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - any | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Not suspected to be persistent | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
- 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.
- 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.
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.