Limonene
- Products with this ingredient are allowed for use in EWG VERIFIED but must meet use restrictions and warnings based on EWG review of company data.
- Products with the EWG VERIFIED mark have met use restrictions and warnings based on EWG review of company data.
Other Concerns
Use restrictions (moderate), Persistence and bioaccumulation (moderate), Ecotoxicology (low), and Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (high)SYNONYMS
Restricted
Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation
Limonene is a scent ingredient and solvent naturally ocurring in the rind of citrus fruit. Upon storage and exposure to sunlight and air, limonene degrades to various oxidation products which act as skin and respiratory irritants and sensitizers.
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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MODERATEUse Restrictions
Ingredient concerns
- CONCERNS
- DATA SOURCES
Products with this Ingredient
shampoo | 765 products |
conditioner | 690 products |
hair treatment/serum | 490 products |
moisturizer | 462 products |
hair styling aide | 404 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 389 products |
fragrance for women | 387 products |
body wash/cleanser | 375 products |
foundation | 249 products |
lip balm | 220 products |
styling gel/lotion | 211 products |
mask | 195 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 186 products |
facial cleanser | 183 products |
liquid hand soap | 176 products |
serums & essences | 174 products |
hair spray | 170 products |
lipstick | 156 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant | 151 products |
lip gloss | 145 products |
hand cream | 140 products |
fragrance for men | 138 products |
body spray | 136 products |
bar soap | 132 products |
daily use with SPF | 85 products |
styling mousse/foam | 81 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's) | 76 products |
body oil | 71 products |
sunless tanning | 70 products |
hair color and bleaching | 69 products |
bath oil/salts/soak | 58 products |
body firming lotion | 50 products |
concealer | 48 products |
toners/astringents | 45 products |
lip plumper | 36 products |
around-eye cream | 35 products |
after shave | 34 products |
makeup primer | 34 products |
hand sanitizer | 32 products |
setting powder/spray | 30 products |
detangler | 29 products |
lip balm with SPF | 29 products |
blush | 29 products |
toothpaste | 25 products |
shaving cream | 25 products |
CC cream | 22 products |
makeup remover | 20 products |
recreational sunscreen | 20 products |
polish remover | 19 products |
bubble bath | 18 products |
anti-aging | 17 products |
beard care | 17 products |
eye shadow | 14 products |
beard oil | 14 products |
14 products | |
baby shampoo | 13 products |
shaving cream (men's) | 11 products |
foot moisturizer | 11 products |
nail treatment | 11 products |
baby soap | 10 products |
skin fading/lightener | 10 products |
eyelash glue | 9 products |
baby lotion | 8 products |
after sun product | 8 products |
hair-loss treatment | 8 products |
beard cleanser | 8 products |
cuticle treatment | 7 products |
bronzer/highlighter | 7 products |
muscle/joint soreness | 7 products |
tanning oil | 6 products |
nail polish | 5 products |
depilatory | 5 products |
facial powder | 5 products |
brow liner | 5 products |
body powder | 4 products |
mascara | 4 products |
BB cream | 4 products |
hair removal waxes | 4 products |
foot odor control | 3 products |
baby oil | 3 products |
baby bubble bath | 3 products |
baby sunscreen | 3 products |
baby wipes | 3 products |
nail glue | 3 products |
diaper cream | 2 products |
foot cleansing | 2 products |
glitter | 2 products |
eye makeup remover | 2 products |
hair relaxer | 2 products |
mouthwash | 2 products |
baby powder | 2 products |
facial cleansing wipes | 2 products |
baby toothpaste | 1 products |
oil controller | 1 products |
damaged skin treatment | 1 products |
lip liner | 1 products |
pore strips | 1 products |
exfoliant/scrub - large particle | 1 products |
Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Classified as irritant | CPS&Q - Classification & Labelling |
Allergies/immunotoxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Known human any toxicant or allergen | Open scientific literature |
Human any toxicant or allergen - strong evidence | Open scientific literature |
Possible human immune system toxicant or allergen | SCCPNFP Opinion on Fragrance Allergy |
Limited evidence of immune system toxicity or allergies | CPS&Q - Classification & Labelling |
Limited evidence of immune system toxicity or allergies | National Library of Medicine HazMap |
Use restrictions
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Recommended restricted in cosmetics - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Fragrance subject to restrictions: safe only if satisfies manufacturing specifications or purity limits, according to industry safety panel (International Fragrance Association) | International Fragrance Association Codes & Standards |
Restricted in cosmetics - labeling requirement for allergens | CosIng |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Persistent, bioaccumulative in wildlife | Open scientific literature |
Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Not suspected to be persistent | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Developmental/reproductive toxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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One or more animal studies show developmental effects at high doses | Open scientific literature |
Ecotoxicology
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Wildlife and environmental toxicity | CPS&Q - Classification & Labelling |
Suspected to be an environmental toxin | Open scientific literature |
Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Miscellaneous
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Occupational hazards related to handling | CPS&Q - Classification & Labelling |
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 | Int'l Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) - Carcinogens |
Not likely to be carcinogenic in humans | Open scientific literature |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Classified as a low human health priority | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Informational
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - Fragrance subject to restrictions: safe only if satisfies manufacturing specifications or purity limits, according to industry safety panel (International Fragrance Association) | International Fragrance Association Codes & Standards |
Multiple, additive exposure sources
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Everything Added to Food |
Data gaps
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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2859 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
- CPS&Q (Consumer Products Safety & Quality) formely known as ECB (European Chemicals Bureau). 2008. Classification and Labelling: Chemicals: Annex VI of Directive 67/548/EEC through the 31st ATP.
- Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
- SCCPNFP (Scientific Committee On Cosmetic Products And Non-Food Products). 1999. Opinion Concerning Fragrance Allergy In Consumers. . SCCNFP/0017/98 Final, December 1999; and SCCPNFP (Scientific Committee On Cosmetic Products And Non-Food Products). 2000. An Initial List Of Perfumery Materials Which Must Not Form Part Of Fragrances Compounds Used In Cosmetic Products. SCCNFP/0320/00, final May 2000.
- NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2006. HazMap — Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents.
- IFRA (International Fragrance Association). 2006. Codes and Standards.
- European Commission. 2013. Cosing, the European Commission database with information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. Accessed on March 1, 2013 at http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/cosmetics/cosing/ .
- EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
- IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer). 2008. Overall Evaluations of Carcinogenicity to Humans, as evaluated in IARC Monographs Volumes 1-99 (a total of 935 agents, mixtures and exposures).
- 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.
- 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 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.