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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Fair

Fd&C Yellow No. 6 (Ci 15985)

  • This ingredient’s score is higher if used in products intended for use around the eyes due to increased risk of absorption.
  • Products with the EWG VERIFIED mark have met the program’s impurity and use restrictions based on EWG's review of the company's data.

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Use restrictions (high), Neurotoxicity (low), Endocrine disruption (low), and Contamination concerns (high)

SYNONYMS

2-NAPHTHALENESULFONIC ACID, 6-HYDROXY-5-[(4-SULFOPHENYL)AZO]-, DISODIUM SALT, 2NAPHTHALENESULFONIC ACID, 6HYDROXY5[(4SULFOPHENYL)AZO], DISODIUM SALT, 6-HYDROXY-5-[(4-SULFOPHENYL)AZO]- DISODIUM SALT 2-NAPHTHALENESULFONIC ACID, 6-HYDROXY-5-[(4-SULFOPHENYL)AZO]-2-NAPHTHALENESULFONIC ACID, DISODIUM SALT, CI 15985, D&C YELLOW 6, DISODIUM 6-HYDROXY-5-[(4-SULPHONATOPHENYL)AZO]NAPHTHALENE-2-SULPHONATE, DISODIUM SALT 2-NAPHTHALENESULFONIC ACID, 6-HYDROXY-5-[(4-SULFOPHENYL)AZO]-, DISODIUM SALT 6-HYDROXY-5-[(4-SULFOPHENYL)AZO]-2-NAPHTHALENESULFONIC ACID, DISODIUM SALT FOOD YELLOW 3, FD&C YELLOW 6, FD&C YELLOW NO. 6, FD&C YELLOW NO. 6 (CI 15985), FOOD YELLOW 3, DISODIUM SALT, SUNSET YELLOW FCF, and YELLOW 6

Restricted - Unaccpetable

The score of this ingredient can vary from Restricted to Unacceptable based on the method of product consumption. For instance, when used in aerosol-based products, this ingredient may pose a risk to respiratory health, leading to a higher score

Click here for more information about ingredient scores

FD&C Yellow 6 is a synthetic dye produced from petroleum; this dye is FDA-approved for use in food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

  • LOW
    Cancer
  • MODERATE
    Allergies & Immunotoxicity
  • LOW
    Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
  • HIGH
    Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

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lipstick98 products
eye liner69 products
conditioner45 products
body wash/cleanser40 products
bar soap39 products
shampoo38 products
nail polish37 products
liquid hand soap34 products
lip gloss29 products
blush29 products
moisturizer28 products
sunless tanning27 products
lip balm26 products
fragrance for women26 products
bronzer/highlighter22 products
lip balm with SPF19 products
exfoliant/scrub19 products
foundation16 products
facial cleanser16 products
hair treatment/serum16 products
bath oil/salts/soak16 products
hair styling aide14 products
mask14 products
styling gel/lotion13 products
facial moisturizer/treatment12 products
mouthwash11 products
fragrance for men11 products
body oil10 products
hair color and bleaching9 products
serums & essences9 products
eye shadow8 products
lip plumper8 products
toners/astringents7 products
concealer6 products
daily use with SPF4 products
facial powder4 products
brow liner4 products
makeup primer4 products
glitter4 products
bubble bath3 products
body spray3 products
foot moisturizer3 products
around-eye cream3 products
hand cream3 products
setting powder/spray3 products
baby shampoo3 products
body firming lotion2 products
detangler2 products
after sun product2 products
after shave2 products
recreational sunscreen1 products
shaving cream1 products
1 products
toothpaste1 products
makeup remover1 products
hair relaxer1 products
anti-aging1 products
baby lotion1 products
nail treatment1 products
baby soap1 products
hair spray1 products
lip liner1 products
hand sanitizer1 products

Contamination concerns

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Chemical
CADMIUM (pyrophoric)

Use restrictions

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Violation of government restrictions - Restricted in cosmetics; use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Color additive not approved by FDA for cosmetics used around eyesFDA Color Additive Status

Allergies/immunotoxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Human any toxicant or allergen - moderate evidenceOpen scientific literature
One or more human case studies show possible any or allergenic effectsOpen scientific literature

Neurotoxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
One or more human case studies show possible any effectsOpen scientific literature

Developmental/reproductive toxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as possibly toxic to reproduction or developmentOpen scientific literature
One or more animal studies show any effects at high dosesOpen scientific literature

Endocrine disruption

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CONCERN REFERENCE
One or more studies show weak endocrine disruptionOpen scientific literature
Associated with endocrine disruptionOpen scientific literature

Cancer

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Mutagen - limited evidenceOpen scientific literature
Limited or incomplete evidence of cancer according to safety/hazard data – government assessment cannot classify as human carcinogen due to data gapsInt'l Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) - Carcinogens
Not likely to be carcinogenic in humansOpen scientific literature

Multiple, additive exposure sources

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodFDA Everything Added to Food

Data gaps

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

Persistence and bioaccumulation

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Not suspected to be persistentEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Ecotoxicology

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

Informational

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - Color additive approved by FDA for use in cosmeticsFDA Color Additive Status
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - Color Additives - Batch Certified by the U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationCTFA International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook
  • FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) 2006. Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Color Additive Status List. September 2006.
  • Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
  • 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.
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
  • CTFA (Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association). 2006. International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook, 11th Edition. Color Additive Information. Washington, DC.

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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