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Data: Fair

Diatomaceous Earth

  • This ingredient’s score is higher if used in products that are inhalable (e.g., sprays, powders) because of respiratory concerns.

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

SEARCH PRODUCTS

Other Concerns

Persistence and bioaccumulation (high) and Multiple, additive exposure sources (low)

SYNONYMS

● DIATOMACEOUS EARTH
● DIATOMACEOUS SILICA
● DIATOMITE
● INFUSORIAL EARTH
● KIESELGUHR
● SILICEOUS EARTH

Restricted

Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation


Diatomaceous Earth is a mineral material consisting chiefly of the siliceous frustules andfragments of various species of diatoms.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

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

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

Expand content Collapse content
nail polish25 products
lipstick23 products
antiperspirant/deodorant22 products
mask8 products
toothpaste6 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)4 products
bath oil/salts/soak4 products
daily use with SPF3 products
mascara3 products
styling gel/lotion3 products
tooth whitening2 products
hair styling aide2 products
shampoo2 products
facial cleanser2 products
recreational sunscreen1 products
around-eye cream1 products
bar soap1 products
facial moisturizer/treatment1 products
serums & essences1 products

Occupational hazards

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Allowed workplace exposures restricted to very low dosesNational Library of Medicine HazMap
Allowed workplace exposures restricted to low dosesNational Library of Medicine HazMap

Multiple, additive exposure sources

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Used in food or as an additive with limited or no toxicity information availableFDA Everything Added to Food
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodFDA Food Additive Status

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
1497 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2006. HazMap — Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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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