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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED®

Data: Limited

Kojic Acid

  • This ingredient’s score is higher if used in products intended for damaged skin due to increased risk of absorption.

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Use restrictions (high) and Endocrine disruption (moderate)

SYNONYMS

● 4H-PYRAN-4-ONE, 5-HYDROXY-2-(HYDROXYMETHYL)-
● 5-HYDROXY-2-(HYDROXYMETHYL)- 4H-PYRAN-4-ONE
● 5-HYDROXY-2-(HYDROXYMETHYL)-4H-PYRAN-4-ONE
● 5-HYDROXY-2-HYDROXYMETHYL-4-PYRONE
● KOJIC ACID

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

Kojic Acid is a heterocyclic compound.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

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

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

Expand content Collapse content
serums & essences20 products
facial moisturizer/treatment14 products
facial cleanser6 products
toners/astringents6 products
around-eye cream6 products
skin fading/lightener3 products
3 products
mask2 products
recreational sunscreen2 products
exfoliant/scrub2 products
moisturizer1 products
daily use with SPF1 products
bar soap1 products
damaged skin treatment1 products
facial cleansing wipes1 products
hand cream1 products

Allergies/immunotoxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Possible human Sensitizer toxicant or allergenOpen scientific literature

Use restrictions

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Restricted in cosmetics (recommendations or requirements) - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - unsafe for use on injured or damaged skinOpen scientific literature
Recommended restricted in cosmetics - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - anyOpen scientific literature
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - anyOpen scientific literature
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - Safe for use in cosmetics with some qualificationsCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Cancer

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Limited evidence of carcinogenicityOpen 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

Endocrine disruption

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Limited evidence of endocrine disruptionOpen scientific literature

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
481 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed
  • 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.
  • 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).
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.

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.

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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?

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