EWG Skin Deep® | What is DIAZOLIDINYL UREA (FORMALDEHYDE RELEASER)

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

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)-, and 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

moisturizer	39 products
hair styling aide	31 products
shampoo	31 products
conditioner	26 products
hair treatment/serum	24 products
facial moisturizer/treatment	23 products
styling gel/lotion	23 products
hand cream	15 products
exfoliant/scrub	15 products
styling mousse/foam	11 products
body wash/cleanser	10 products
foundation	9 products
facial cleanser	9 products
after sun product	8 products
mask	8 products
body spray	8 products
daily use with SPF	7 products
toners/astringents	6 products
serums & essences	5 products
foot moisturizer	5 products
around-eye cream	5 products
liquid hand soap	4 products
hair spray	4 products
makeup primer	4 products
facial powder	4 products
body firming lotion	4 products
CC cream	4 products
blush	3 products
recreational sunscreen	3 products
glitter	3 products
anti-aging	3 products
mascara	3 products
concealer	3 products
shaving cream	2 products
BB cream	2 products
baby sunscreen	2 products
after shave	2 products
damaged skin treatment	1 products
other eye makeup	1 products
eye shadow	1 products
skin fading/lightener	1 products
bronzer/highlighter	1 products
muscle/joint soreness	1 products
hair color and bleaching	1 products
setting powder/spray	1 products
eye makeup remover	1 products

Contamination concerns

Chemical
FORMALDEHYDE

Allergies/immunotoxicity

CONCERN	REFERENCE
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
Cancer - limited evidence	Open scientific literature

Use restrictions

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

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

CONCERN	REFERENCE
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 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