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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED®

Data: Fair

Hydroxyethylcellulose

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Other Concerns

SYNONYMS

● 2-HYDROXYETHYL ETHER CELLULOSE
● CELLULOSE HYDROXYETHYLATE
● CELLULOSE, 2-HYDROXYETHYL ETHER
● CELLULOSE, 2HYDROXYETHYL ETHER
● H. E. CELLULOSE
● HYDROXYETHYLCELLULOSE

Restricted

Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation

Hydroxyethylcellulose is a modified cellulose polymer; used as a gelling and thickening agent.

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

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mascara262 products
conditioner245 products
mask230 products
serums & essences153 products
hair treatment/serum129 products
facial moisturizer/treatment81 products
foundation80 products
hair styling aide80 products
moisturizer69 products
shaving cream58 products
styling gel/lotion42 products
shampoo40 products
facial cleanser38 products
brow liner36 products
around-eye cream33 products
hair color and bleaching28 products
shaving cream (men's)27 products
liquid hand soap25 products
body wash/cleanser24 products
exfoliant/scrub23 products
antiperspirant/deodorant18 products
daily use with SPF15 products
hand cream14 products
recreational sunscreen13 products
eye liner12 products
toners/astringents12 products
anti-aging10 products
makeup primer10 products
concealer10 products
hair-loss treatment9 products
beard cleanser7 products
detangler6 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)6 products
6 products
foot cleansing6 products
body firming lotion5 products
hand sanitizer5 products
other eye makeup5 products
after sun product5 products
BB cream5 products
beard care5 products
eye makeup remover3 products
makeup remover3 products
bubble bath3 products
mouthwash3 products
foot moisturizer3 products
sunless tanning3 products
after shave3 products
toothpaste2 products
nail treatment2 products
bronzer/highlighter2 products
body oil2 products
baby lotion2 products
muscle/joint soreness2 products
foot odor control2 products
glitter2 products
baby toothpaste1 products
tooth whitening1 products
cuticle treatment1 products
lip plumper1 products
styling mousse/foam1 products
blush1 products
baby sunscreen1 products
bar soap1 products
diaper cream1 products
pore strips1 products
setting powder/spray1 products
baby wipes1 products

Data gaps

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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 productCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
2627 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

Informational

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

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
Classified as a low human health priorityEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
  • CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC.
  • 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.

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.

Can’t find your product?

Enter the ingredients in EWG’s Build Your Own Report tool to get an approximate score for that product.

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September 23, 2023 | Los Angeles, CA

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