Other Concerns
Use restrictions (low) and Contamination concerns (high)SYNONYMS
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.
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LOWCancer
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HIGHAllergies & 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 | 40 products |
hair styling aide | 34 products |
shampoo | 30 products |
conditioner | 27 products |
styling gel/lotion | 25 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 23 products |
hair treatment/serum | 19 products |
hand cream | 16 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 15 products |
styling mousse/foam | 12 products |
body wash/cleanser | 11 products |
facial cleanser | 9 products |
foundation | 9 products |
body spray | 8 products |
mask | 8 products |
after sun product | 8 products |
toners/astringents | 7 products |
hair spray | 6 products |
liquid hand soap | 6 products |
foot moisturizer | 5 products |
serums & essences | 5 products |
around-eye cream | 5 products |
body firming lotion | 5 products |
makeup primer | 4 products |
facial powder | 4 products |
mascara | 3 products |
shaving cream | 3 products |
blush | 3 products |
daily use with SPF | 3 products |
concealer | 3 products |
anti-aging | 3 products |
recreational sunscreen | 2 products |
baby sunscreen | 2 products |
BB cream | 2 products |
after shave | 2 products |
damaged skin treatment | 1 products |
eye makeup remover | 1 products |
eye shadow | 1 products |
skin fading/lightener | 1 products |
muscle/joint soreness | 1 products |
bronzer/highlighter | 1 products |
setting powder/spray | 1 products |
other eye makeup | 1 products |
CC cream | 1 products |
hair color and bleaching | 1 products |
Contamination concerns
Chemical |
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FORMALDEHYDE |
Allergies/immunotoxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Known human any toxicant or allergen | Open scientific literature |
Human skin toxicant or allergen - strong evidence | EWG Assessment of Open Scientific Literature |
Human skin toxicant or allergen - strong evidence | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Human any toxicant or allergen - strong evidence | Open scientific literature |
Limited evidence of any toxicity or allergies | Open scientific literature |
Limited evidence of immune system toxicity or allergies | National Library of Medicine HazMap |
Cancer
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Cancer - limited evidence | Open scientific literature |
Use restrictions
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - any | Open scientific literature |
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - Safe for use in cosmetics with some qualifications | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
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 |
58 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
Ecotoxicology
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Not suspected to be persistent | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | Environment 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 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.