EWG Skin Deep® | What is CHROMIUM OXIDE GREENS

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Data: Limited

Chromium Oxide Greens

This ingredient’s score is higher if used in products intended for use on lips due to increased risk of ingestion and absorption.

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Enhanced skin absorption, Use restrictions (high), Persistence and bioaccumulation (moderate), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate), and Ecotoxicology (low)

SYNONYMS

CHROME OXIDE; CHROME OXIDE; CHROMIUM(III) OXIDE; CHROMIUM(III) OXIDE, CHROMIC OXIDE, CHROMIUM GREEN OXIDE, CHROMIUM OXIDE (CR2O3), CHROMIUM OXIDE GREENS, CI 77288, DICHROMIUM TRIOXIDE, GREEN CHROMIC OXIDE, GREEN OXIDE OF CHROMIUM, and PIGMENT GREEN 17

Restricted - Unaccpetable

The score of this ingredient can vary from Restricted to Unacceptable based on the method of product consumption. For instance, when used in aerosol-based products, this ingredient may pose a risk to respiratory health, leading to a higher score

Click here for more information about ingredient scores

Chromium oxide is a mineral pigment, Cr2O3, used as a colorant in a variety of products. This ingredient contains trivalent chromium, a form of chromium that functions as an essential trace element in human metabolism.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

LOW

Cancer
LOW

Allergies & Immunotoxicity
LOW

Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
HIGH

Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

CONCERNS
DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

foundation	413 products
eye shadow	351 products
eye liner	226 products
brow liner	137 products
concealer	119 products
mascara	96 products
bronzer/highlighter	63 products
lipstick	37 products
facial powder	27 products
blush	26 products
setting powder/spray	25 products
makeup primer	25 products
mask	20 products
nail polish	16 products
body oil	15 products
shampoo	9 products
facial moisturizer/treatment	7 products
lip liner	6 products
bar soap	6 products
serums & essences	4 products
body wash/cleanser	4 products
bath oil/salts/soak	4 products
conditioner	4 products
CC cream	3 products
exfoliant/scrub	3 products
glitter	3 products
around-eye cream	2 products
skin fading/lightener	2 products
moisturizer	2 products
lip gloss	2 products
hand cream	2 products
daily use with SPF	2 products
nail glue	2 products
hair treatment/serum	2 products
	2 products
eyelash glue	1 products
fragrance for men	1 products
hand sanitizer	1 products
facial cleanser	1 products
oil controller	1 products
toners/astringents	1 products
hair color and bleaching	1 products
makeup remover	1 products

Enhanced skin absorption

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Nano-scale ingredients with potential to absorb into the skin	Open scientific literature
Suspected nano-scale ingredients with potential to absorb into the skin	Nanomaterial Database

Use restrictions

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Violation of government restrictions - Restricted in cosmetics; use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - any	Open scientific literature

Persistence and bioaccumulation

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Persistent or bioaccumulative and moderate to high toxicity concern in humans	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List
Not suspected to be bioaccumulative	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Classified as expected to be toxic or harmful	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List
Classified as a low human health priority	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List

Allergies/immunotoxicity

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Limited evidence of any toxicity or allergies	Open scientific literature

Ecotoxicology

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Suspected to be an environmental toxin and be persistent or bioaccumulative	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List
Suspected to be an environmental toxin	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List

Informational

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - Color additive approved by FDA for use in cosmetics	FDA Color Additive Status
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - Color Additives - Exempt from Batch Certification by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration	CTFA International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook

Cancer

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Limited or incomplete evidence of cancer according to safety/hazard data – government assessment cannot classify as human carcinogen due to data gaps	Open scientific literature

Data gaps

CONCERN	REFERENCE
532 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical	NLM PubMed

Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
NanoWerk. 2007. Nanomaterial Database. Available online: http://www.nanowerk.com/phpscripts/n_dbsearch.php
EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) 2006. Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Color Additive Status List. September 2006.
CTFA (Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association). 2006. International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook, 11th Edition. Color Additive Information. 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.

Data availability

The Skin Deep data availability rating reflects the number of scientific studies about the product or ingredient in the published scientific literature.

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