EWG Skin Deep® | What is DMDM HYDANTOIN (FORMALDEHYDE RELEASER)

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Limited

Dmdm Hydantoin (Formaldehyde Releaser)

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Use restrictions (moderate), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (moderate), and Contamination concerns (high)

SYNONYMS

1,3-BIS(HYDROXYMETHYL)-5,5-DIMETHYL- 2,4-IMIDAZOLIDINEDIONE, 1,3-BIS(HYDROXYMETHYL)-5,5-DIMETHYLIMIDAZOLIDINE-2,4-DIONE, 1,3-BIS(HYDROXYMETHYL)-5,5-DIMETHYLIMIDAZOLIDINE-2,4-DIONE(+), 1,3-DIHYDROXYMETHYL-5,5 DIMETHYLHYDANTOIN, 1,3-DIMETHYLOL-5,5-DIMETHYL HYDANTOIN, 2,4-IMIDAZOLIDINEDIONE, 1,3-BIS(HYDROXYMETHYL)-5,5-DIMETHYL-, 2,4IMIDAZOLIDINEDIONE, 1,3BIS(HYDROXYMETHYL)5,5DIMETHYL, DMDM HYDANTOIN, and DMDM HYDANTOIN (FORMALDEHYDE RELEASER)

Restricted

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

DMDM hydantoin is an antimicrobial formaldehyde releaser preservative. People exposed to such formaldehyde-releasing ingredients may develop a formaldehyde allergy or an allergy to the ingredient itself and its decomposition products. 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
MODERATE

Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

CONCERNS
DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

conditioner	88 products
shampoo	82 products
body wash/cleanser	71 products
moisturizer	60 products
liquid hand soap	59 products
hair styling aide	57 products
styling gel/lotion	38 products
hair treatment/serum	34 products
facial moisturizer/treatment	20 products
foundation	19 products
facial cleanser	16 products
concealer	14 products
styling mousse/foam	13 products
hand cream	8 products
exfoliant/scrub	7 products
foot moisturizer	5 products
daily use with SPF	5 products
mask	5 products
body firming lotion	5 products
baby wipes	5 products
hand sanitizer	4 products
hair spray	4 products
serums & essences	4 products
after sun product	4 products
detangler	3 products
eye liner	3 products
glitter	3 products
after shave	3 products
sunless tanning	3 products
recreational sunscreen	3 products
bubble bath	3 products
toners/astringents	2 products
anti-aging	2 products
makeup primer	2 products
BB cream	2 products
brow liner	2 products
body spray	2 products
beard care	2 products
	2 products
beard cleanser	1 products
around-eye cream	1 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)	1 products
nail polish	1 products
hair relaxer	1 products
baby shampoo	1 products
baby lotion	1 products
hair removal waxes	1 products
hair color and bleaching	1 products
makeup remover	1 products
foot cleansing	1 products
bath oil/salts/soak	1 products
shaving cream (men's)	1 products

Contamination concerns

Chemical
FORMALDEHYDE

Allergies/immunotoxicity

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Known human immune toxicant or allergen	Open scientific literature
Human skin toxicant or allergen - strong evidence	Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
Limited evidence of immune system toxicity or allergies	National Library of Medicine HazMap

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Human any irritant - strong evidence	Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Use restrictions

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Restricted in cosmetics (recommendations or requirements) - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Japan - prohibited for use in some types of cosmetics	Japan's Standards for Cosmetics

Cancer

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Cancer - limited evidence	Open scientific literature

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
24 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical	NLM PubMed

Informational

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - any	Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

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
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.
Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. 2006. Standards for Cosmetics. Evaluation and Licensing Division. Pharmaceutical and Food Safety Bureau.
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