EWG Skin Deep® | What is ETHANOL

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Fair

Ethanol

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Enhanced skin absorption and Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate)

SYNONYMS

● ABSOLUTE ETHANOL

● ALCOHOL

● DISTILLED SPIRITS

● ETHANOL

● ETHANOL, UNDENATURED

● ETHYL ALCOHOL

● ETHYL HYDROXIDE

● UNDENATURED ETHANOL

This ingredient is not currently on EWG's Skin Deep Restricted or Unacceptable Lists.

Ethanol or ethyl alcohol is considered broadly toxic and linked to birth defects following excessive oral ingestion. Potential risks from ethanol in personal care products are significantly smaller than the health risks posed by the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

LOW

Cancer
LOW

Allergies & Immunotoxicity
LOW

Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
LOW

Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

CONCERNS
DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

foundation	435 products
hand sanitizer	425 products
facial moisturizer/treatment	160 products
serums & essences	118 products
fragrance for women	114 products
mask	112 products
lipstick	96 products
conditioner	90 products
moisturizer	82 products
mouthwash	76 products
facial cleanser	76 products
brow liner	71 products
toners/astringents	66 products
hair treatment/serum	64 products
fragrance for men	62 products
shampoo	55 products
eye liner	48 products
around-eye cream	44 products
exfoliant/scrub	41 products
liquid hand soap	37 products
hair-loss treatment	35 products
body wash/cleanser	34 products
daily use with SPF	34 products
hand cream	33 products
nail polish	33 products
concealer	33 products
hair styling aide	32 products
recreational sunscreen	27 products
setting powder/spray	27 products
antiperspirant/deodorant	26 products
bronzer/highlighter	26 products
mascara	25 products
body spray	24 products
eye shadow	24 products
makeup primer	23 products
lip gloss	23 products
sunless tanning	20 products
hair spray	19 products
toothpaste	17 products
styling gel/lotion	16 products
body firming lotion	16 products
tooth whitening	14 products
hair color and bleaching	14 products
lip balm	14 products
bath oil/salts/soak	13 products
bar soap	12 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)	12 products
CC cream	12 products
anti-aging	11 products
after shave	10 products
nail treatment	8 products
muscle/joint soreness	7 products
baby lotion	7 products
blush	7 products
	7 products
foot cleansing	6 products
foot moisturizer	5 products
polish remover	5 products
lip plumper	5 products
shaving cream	4 products
after sun product	4 products
body oil	4 products
skin fading/lightener	3 products
BB cream	3 products
bubble bath	3 products
beard care	3 products
styling mousse/foam	2 products
detangler	2 products
makeup remover	2 products
other eye makeup	2 products
eyelash glue	2 products
damaged skin treatment	2 products
tanning oil	2 products
cuticle treatment	1 products
baby soap	1 products
diaper cream	1 products
foot odor control	1 products
eye makeup remover	1 products
lip liner	1 products
glitter	1 products
baby wipes	1 products
pore strips	1 products
other men's products	1 products

Enhanced skin absorption

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Penetration enhancer	Open scientific literature

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Classified as expected to be toxic or harmful	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List
Classified as medium human health priority	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List
Limited evidence of sense organ toxicity	Scorecard.org Toxicity Information

Miscellaneous

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Occupational hazards related to handling	CPS&Q - Classification & Labelling

Data gaps

CONCERN	REFERENCE
334201 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

Persistence and bioaccumulation

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Not suspected to be bioaccumulative	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List

Multiple, additive exposure sources

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food	FDA Food Additive Status

Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
ED (Environmental Defense). 2006. Scorecard _ The Pollution Information Site. http://www.scorecard.org.
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.
NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) 2006. Food Additive Status List. Downloaded from http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/%7Edms/opa-appa.html, Oct 16, 2006.

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.

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Low Availability

Moderate Availability

High Availability