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Data: Limited

Diazolidinyl Urea (Formaldehyde Releaser)

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Use restrictions (low) and Contamination concerns (high)

SYNONYMS

● 1-[1,3-BIS(HYDROXYMETHYL)-2,5-DIOXOIMIDAZOLIDIN-4-YL]-1,3-BIS(HYDROXYMETHYL)UREA
● DIAZOLIDINYL UREA
● DIAZOLIDINYL UREA (FORMALDEHYDE RELEASER)
● DIAZOLIDYNL UREA
● N-(HYDROXYMETHYL)-N-(1,3-DIHYDROXYMETHYL-2,5-DIOXO-4-IMIDAZOLIDINYL)-N'-(HYDROXYMETHYL) UREA
● N-[1,3-BIS(HYDROXYMETHYL)-2,5-DIOXO-4-IMIDAZOLIDINYL-N,N'-BIS(HYDROXYMETHYL)- UREA
● N-[1,3-BIS(HYDROXYMETHYL)-2,5-DIOXO-4-IMIDAZOLIDINYL]-N,N'-BIS(HYDROXYMETHYL) UREA
● UREA, N-[1,3-BIS(HYDROXYMETHYL)-2,5-DIOXO-4-IMIDAZOLIDINYL-N,N'-BIS(HYDROXYMETHYL)-
● UREA, N[1,3BIS(HYDROXYMETHYL)2,5DIOXO4IMIDAZOLIDINYL]N,N BIS(HYDROXYMETHYL)

Unacceptable

Unacceptable: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient

Diazolidinyl urea is an antimicrobial preservative that works by forming formaldehyde in cosmetic products. People exposed to such formaldehyde-releasing ingredients may develop a formaldehyde allergy or an allergy to the ingredient itself. In the U.S. approximately 20% of cosmetics and personal care products contain a formaldehyde-releaser and the frequency of contact allergy to these ingredients is much higher among Americans compared to studies in Europe.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

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

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

Expand content Collapse content
moisturizer66 products
hair styling aide40 products
shampoo31 products
conditioner29 products
styling gel/lotion25 products
facial moisturizer/treatment22 products
styling mousse/foam15 products
hand cream14 products
hair treatment/serum13 products
facial cleanser11 products
after sun product11 products
mask8 products
body spray8 products
liquid hand soap7 products
exfoliant/scrub7 products
hair spray7 products
toners/astringents7 products
serums & essences6 products
around-eye cream5 products
blush5 products
body wash/cleanser5 products
makeup primer4 products
shaving cream3 products
after shave3 products
body firming lotion3 products
mascara3 products
concealer3 products
recreational sunscreen2 products
baby sunscreen2 products
detangler2 products
daily use with SPF2 products
foot moisturizer2 products
foundation2 products
anti-aging2 products
bronzer/highlighter2 products
BB cream2 products
tanning oil2 products
hair color and bleaching2 products
damaged skin treatment1 products
1 products
hand sanitizer1 products
eye shadow1 products
nail glue1 products
muscle/joint soreness1 products
setting powder/spray1 products
eye makeup remover1 products

Contamination concerns

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Chemical
FORMALDEHYDE

Allergies/immunotoxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Known human any toxicant or allergenOpen scientific literature
Human skin toxicant or allergen - strong evidenceEWG Assessment of Open Scientific Literature
Human skin toxicant or allergen - strong evidenceCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
Human any toxicant or allergen - strong evidenceOpen scientific literature
Limited evidence of any toxicity or allergiesOpen scientific literature
Limited evidence of immune system toxicity or allergiesNational Library of Medicine HazMap

Cancer

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Cancer - limited evidenceOpen scientific literature

Use restrictions

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - anyOpen scientific literature
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - Safe for use in cosmetics with some qualificationsCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Data gaps

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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 productCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
58 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Persistence and bioaccumulation

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be persistentEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
  • Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
  • EWG Assessment of Open Scientific Literature
  • 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). 2006. HazMap — Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents.
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.

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
WEIGHT-OF-EVIDENCE APPROACH

A product’s hazard score is not an average of the ingredients’ hazard scores. It is calculated using a weight-of-evidence approach that factors in all of the hazards or health impacts associated with the ingredients.

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
NONE

Ingredients have not been assessed.

LIMITED-FAIR

There is only a modest volume of research.

GOOD-ROBUST

Ingredients have been studied extensively.

Can’t find your product?

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