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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Fair

Ethanol

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

SEARCH PRODUCTS

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, and UNDENATURED ETHANOL

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 Reingredientive Toxicity
  • LOW
    Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

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hand sanitizer412 products
foundation314 products
facial moisturizer/treatment160 products
mask138 products
serums & essences101 products
moisturizer97 products
fragrance for women91 products
facial cleanser87 products
mouthwash84 products
conditioner83 products
toners/astringents66 products
lipstick65 products
fragrance for men60 products
brow liner58 products
hair treatment/serum52 products
shampoo50 products
liquid hand soap45 products
eye liner44 products
hair-loss treatment42 products
daily use with SPF38 products
exfoliant/scrub37 products
hand cream37 products
around-eye cream35 products
body wash/cleanser34 products
recreational sunscreen34 products
concealer33 products
mascara30 products
nail polish29 products
makeup primer27 products
setting powder/spray26 products
antiperspirant/deodorant25 products
hair styling aide24 products
eye shadow23 products
bath oil/salts/soak22 products
body spray21 products
hair color and bleaching20 products
lip gloss19 products
bronzer/highlighter19 products
toothpaste17 products
hair spray17 products
sunless tanning17 products
styling gel/lotion15 products
body firming lotion14 products
lip balm13 products
bar soap12 products
12 products
tooth whitening11 products
anti-aging7 products
shaving cream7 products
damaged skin treatment7 products
after shave6 products
muscle/joint soreness6 products
baby lotion6 products
nail treatment6 products
makeup remover6 products
foot cleansing6 products
foot moisturizer5 products
polish remover5 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)5 products
bubble bath5 products
blush5 products
CC cream5 products
baby soap4 products
after sun product4 products
body oil4 products
lip plumper4 products
baby shampoo3 products
BB cream3 products
eye makeup remover3 products
skin fading/lightener2 products
styling mousse/foam2 products
eyelash glue2 products
oil controller2 products
cuticle treatment1 products
detangler1 products
shaving cream (men's)1 products
diaper cream1 products
baby bubble bath1 products
baby sunscreen1 products
foot odor control1 products
lip liner1 products
tanning oil1 products
glitter1 products
beard oil1 products
baby wipes1 products
other men's products1 products
beard care1 products

Enhanced skin absorption

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Penetration enhancerOpen scientific literature

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as expected to be toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Classified as medium human health priorityEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Limited evidence of sense organ toxicityScorecard.org Toxicity Information

Miscellaneous

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Occupational hazards related to handlingCPS&Q - Classification & Labelling

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
334201 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

Ecotoxicology

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

Persistence and bioaccumulation

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Multiple, additive exposure sources

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodFDA 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.

Score legend
WEIGHT-OF-EVIDENCE APPROACH

A product’s hazard score is not an average of the ingredients’ hazard scores. It is calculated using a weight-of-evidence approach that factors in all of the hazards or health impacts associated with the ingredients.

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
NONE

Ingredients have not been assessed.

LIMITED-FAIR

There is only a modest volume of research.

GOOD-ROBUST

Ingredients have been studied extensively.

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