EWG Skin Deep® | What is EUGENOL

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Fair

Eugenol

^†This ingredient’s score is higher if used in products that are inhalable (e.g., sprays, powders) because of respiratory concerns.
^†Products with the EWG VERIFIED mark have met use restrictions and warnings based on EWG review of company data.

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Use restrictions (moderate) and Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate)

SYNONYMS

1-ALLYL-4-HYDROXY-3-METHOXYBENZENE, 1-HYDROXY-2-METHOXY-4-ALLYLBENZENE, 2-HYDROXY-5-ALLYLANISOLE, 2-METHOXY-4-(2-PROPENYL)- PHENOL, 2-METHOXY-4-(2-PROPENYL)PHENOL, ALLYLGUAIACOL, CARYOPHYLLIC ACID, EUGENIC ACID, EUGENOL, PHENOL, 2-METHOXY-4-(2-PROPENYL)-, and PHENOL, 2METHOXY4(2PROPENYL)

Eugenol is a naturally occuring scent chemical found in clove oil; also manufactured synthetically. Has been associated with allergies and contact dermatitis.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

LOW

Cancer
HIGH

Allergies & Immunotoxicity
LOW

Developmental and Reingredientive Toxicity
MODERATE

Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

CONCERNS
DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

fragrance for women	86 products
fragrance for men	65 products
facial moisturizer/treatment	53 products
moisturizer	45 products
hair treatment/serum	43 products
lipstick	42 products
lip gloss	29 products
hair styling aide	28 products
shampoo	27 products
conditioner	25 products
lip balm	25 products
foundation	24 products
hand cream	23 products
styling gel/lotion	23 products
antiperspirant/deodorant	22 products
serums & essences	22 products
bar soap	21 products
body wash/cleanser	16 products
body spray	15 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)	14 products
mask	14 products
facial cleanser	13 products
exfoliant/scrub	13 products
hair color and bleaching	11 products
body oil	11 products
hair spray	10 products
liquid hand soap	9 products
bath oil/salts/soak	8 products
around-eye cream	7 products
daily use with SPF	7 products
body firming lotion	5 products
hand sanitizer	5 products
blush	5 products
lip liner	5 products
CC cream	5 products
toners/astringents	5 products
toothpaste	4 products
shaving cream	3 products
after shave	3 products
detangler	3 products
styling mousse/foam	3 products
foot moisturizer	3 products
concealer	3 products
BB cream	3 products
muscle/joint soreness	2 products
lip plumper	2 products
bubble bath	2 products
makeup primer	2 products
beard care	2 products
hair-loss treatment	2 products
beard oil	2 products
sunless tanning	2 products
nail treatment	2 products
bronzer/highlighter	2 products
shaving cream (men's)	2 products
recreational sunscreen	1 products
beard cleanser	1 products
tanning oil	1 products
anti-aging	1 products
facial powder	1 products
mascara	1 products
	1 products
body powder	1 products
setting powder/spray	1 products
oil controller	1 products
depilatory	1 products
mouthwash	1 products
cuticle treatment	1 products

Allergies/immunotoxicity

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Known human immune system toxicant or allergen	SCCPNFP Opinion on Fragrance Allergy
Limited evidence of immune system toxicity or allergies	National Library of Medicine HazMap
Limited evidence of any toxicity or allergies	Open scientific literature

Use restrictions

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Recommended restricted in cosmetics - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Fragrance subject to restrictions: safe only within recommended use or concentration limitsn)	International Fragrance Association Codes & Standards
Restricted in cosmetics - labeling requirement for allergens	CosIng

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	Open scientific literature

Multiple, additive exposure sources

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

Persistence and bioaccumulation

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Not suspected to be bioaccumulative	Open scientific literature
Not suspected to be persistent	Open scientific literature

Data gaps

CONCERN	REFERENCE
4337 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical	NLM PubMed

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	Open scientific literature
Not likely to be carcinogenic in humans	Int'l Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) - Carcinogens

Ecotoxicology

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxin	Open scientific 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.
Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
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.
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.
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.
NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
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).

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