EWG Skin Deep® | What is CHLORHEXIDINE DIHYDROCHLORIDE

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Fair

Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Use restrictions (moderate), Persistence and bioaccumulation (moderate), and Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (low)

SYNONYMS

1,1'-HEXAMETHYLENE BIS(5-(P-CHLOROPHENYL)BIGUANIDE) DIHYDROCHLORIDE, 2,4,11,13-TE TRAAZATETRADECANEDIIMIDAMIDE, N,N'-BIS(4-CHLOROPHENYL)-3,12-DIIMINO-, DIHYDROCHLORIDE, CHLORHEXIDINE DIHYDROCHLORIDE, CHLORHEXIDINE HYDROCHLORIDE, CHLORHEXIDINIUM DICHLORIDE, DIHYDROCHLORIDE 2,4,11,13-TE TRAAZATETRADECANEDIIMIDAMIDE, N,N'-BIS(4-CHLOROPHENYL)-3,12-DIIMINO-, DIHYDROCHLORIDE N,N'-BIS(4-CHLOROPHENYL)-3,12-DIIMINO-2,4,11,13-TETRAAZATETRADECANEDIIMIDAMIDE, N,N''-BIS(4-CHLOROPHENYL)-3,12-DIIMINO-2,4,11,13-TETRAAZATETRADECANEDIIMIDAMIDE, DIHYDROCHLORIDE, N,N'-BIS(4-CHLOROPHENYL)-3,12-DIIMINO- DIHYDROCHLORIDE 2,4,11,13-TE TRAAZATETRADECANEDIIMIDAMIDE, and N,N'-BIS(4-CHLOROPHENYL)-3,12-DIIMINO-2,4,11,13-TETRAAZATETRADECANEDIIMIDAMIDE, DIHYDROCHLORIDE

Unacceptable

Unacceptable: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient

Chlorhexidine is a synthetic preservative and antiseptic.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

LOW

Cancer
MODERATE

Allergies & Immunotoxicity
LOW

Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
MODERATE

Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

CONCERNS
DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

conditioner	40 products
hair color and bleaching	22 products
hair treatment/serum	8 products
hair styling aide	3 products
mask	1 products
detangler	1 products

Persistence and bioaccumulation

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Persistent or bioaccumulative and moderate to high toxicity concern in humans	Open scientific literature

Allergies/immunotoxicity

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Human any toxicant or allergen - strong evidence	Open scientific literature
Human immune and respiratory toxicant or allergen - strong evidence	Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics
Limited evidence of immune system toxicity or allergies	National Library of Medicine HazMap

Use restrictions

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Restricted in cosmetics (recommendations or requirements) - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Japan - restricted for use in some types of cosmetics (concentration limit)	Japan's Standards for Cosmetics
Restricted in cosmetics (recommendations or requirements) - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Use is restricted in Canadian cosmetics	Canada - Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetics Ingredients
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - Safe for use in cosmetics with some qualifications	Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Limited evidence of skin irritation	National Library of Medicine HazMap

Data gaps

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 product	Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
6264 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical	NLM PubMed

Multiple, additive exposure sources

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food	FDA Food Additive Status

Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
AOEC (Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics). 2009. AEOC exposures codes and asthmagen designation.
NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2006. HazMap — Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents.
Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. 2006. Standards for Cosmetics. Evaluation and Licensing Division. Pharmaceutical and Food Safety Bureau.
Health Canada. 2007. List of Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetic Ingredients. Canada's Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist. March 2007.
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) 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.

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