EWG Skin Deep® | What is LACTIC ACID

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Good

Lactic 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) (low)

SYNONYMS

2-HYDROPROPANOIC ACID, 2-HYDROXY- PROPANOIC ACID, 2-HYDROXYPROPANOIC ACID, 2-HYDROXYPROPIONIC ACID, A-HYDROXYPROPANOIC ACID, LACTATE, LACTIC ACID, and PROPANOIC ACID, 2-HYDROXY-

Restricted

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

Lactic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid; naturally produced in the process of bacterial fermentation, for example milk fermentation. Lactic acid is frequently used as an exfoliant and in anti-wrinkle products.

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

conditioner	265 products
mask	149 products
facial moisturizer/treatment	143 products
serums & essences	107 products
facial cleanser	95 products
hair treatment/serum	88 products
moisturizer	87 products
exfoliant/scrub	85 products
shampoo	82 products
body wash/cleanser	73 products
toners/astringents	49 products
lip plumper	34 products
around-eye cream	28 products
lipstick	27 products
hair color and bleaching	25 products
hand cream	21 products
daily use with SPF	17 products
makeup remover	17 products
lip gloss	17 products
hair-loss treatment	16 products
hair styling aide	16 products
foot cleansing	15 products
liquid hand soap	14 products
makeup primer	14 products
foot moisturizer	13 products
detangler	9 products
antiperspirant/deodorant	9 products
lip balm	9 products
anti-aging	8 products
sunless tanning	8 products
styling gel/lotion	8 products
styling mousse/foam	8 products
after shave	7 products
body firming lotion	7 products
hair spray	5 products
oil controller	5 products
lip liner	5 products
fragrance for men	5 products
baby wipes	4 products
setting powder/spray	4 products
recreational sunscreen	3 products
nail treatment	3 products
shaving cream (men's)	3 products
bar soap	3 products
facial powder	3 products
skin fading/lightener	2 products
baby soap	2 products
baby shampoo	2 products
mouthwash	2 products
bronzer/highlighter	2 products
cuticle treatment	2 products
beard cleanser	2 products
bubble bath	2 products
body spray	1 products
eye makeup remover	1 products
foot odor control	1 products
after sun product	1 products
mascara	1 products
foundation	1 products
baby bubble bath	1 products
eye shadow	1 products
baby lotion	1 products
shaving cream	1 products
blush	1 products
body oil	1 products
damaged skin treatment	1 products
	1 products
bath oil/salts/soak	1 products
fragrance for women	1 products
eye liner	1 products
hand sanitizer	1 products
baby toothpaste	1 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)	1 products

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
143272 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical	NLM PubMed

Multiple, additive exposure sources

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

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

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.
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.
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.
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