EWG Skin Deep® | What is GLYCOLIC ACID

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Fair

Glycolic Acid

^†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 (high) and Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (high)

SYNONYMS

ACETIC ACID, HYDROXY, ACETIC ACID, HYDROXY-, GLYCOLIC ACID, GLYCOLIC ALPHA-HYDROXY ACID, GLYCOLLIC ACID, HYDROXY- ACETIC ACID, HYDROXYACETIC ACID, and HYDROXYETHANOIC ACID

Gylcolic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid; used in chemical peels and anti-aging skin products; can irritate skin.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

LOW

Cancer
LOW

Allergies & Immunotoxicity
LOW

Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
HIGH

Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

CONCERNS
DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

mask	90 products
exfoliant/scrub	79 products
serums & essences	73 products
facial moisturizer/treatment	72 products
facial cleanser	65 products
toners/astringents	63 products
moisturizer	20 products
body wash/cleanser	15 products
shampoo	13 products
foot cleansing	13 products
around-eye cream	8 products
foot moisturizer	6 products
bar soap	6 products
hair treatment/serum	5 products
conditioner	5 products
daily use with SPF	4 products
anti-aging	4 products
after shave	4 products
hair styling aide	3 products
liquid hand soap	3 products
body oil	3 products
sunless tanning	3 products
oil controller	3 products
makeup remover	3 products
body firming lotion	2 products
setting powder/spray	2 products
skin fading/lightener	2 products
hand sanitizer	2 products
hand cream	1 products
foot odor control	1 products
	1 products
beard cleanser	1 products
makeup primer	1 products
recreational sunscreen	1 products
nail treatment	1 products
brow liner	1 products
cuticle treatment	1 products
detangler	1 products
depilatory	1 products
hair color and bleaching	1 products
baby oil	1 products
shaving cream (men's)	1 products

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Classified as skin irritant	Open scientific literature

Use restrictions

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Violation of industry recommendations - Restricted in cosmetics; use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Allowable pH limits	Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
Restricted in cosmetics (recommendations or requirements) - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Use is restricted in Canadian cosmetics	Canada - Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetics Ingredients
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - Safe for use in cosmetics with some qualifications	Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Occupational hazards

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Single case study detailing occupational hazards	National Library of Medicine HazMap

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
3765 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical	NLM PubMed

Cancer

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Not likely to be carcinogenic in humans	Open scientific literature

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
Classified as a low human health priority	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

Informational

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

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.
Health Canada. 2007. List of Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetic Ingredients. Canada's Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist. March 2007.
NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2006. HazMap — Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents.
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