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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Limited

Laureth 4

  • †This ingredient’s score is higher if used in products intended for use around the eyes due to increased risk of absorption.
  • †This ingredient’s score is higher if used in products that are inhalable (e.g., sprays, powders) because of respiratory concerns.
  • †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 (low), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (moderate), and Contamination concerns (high)

SYNONYMS

3,6,9,12-TETRAOXATETRACOSAN-1-OL, LAURETH-4, LAURYL ALCOHOL TRI(OXYETHYLENE) ETHANOL, PEG-4 LAURYL ETHER, POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 200 LAURYL ETHER, POLYOXYETHYLENE (4) LAURYL ETHER, and TETRAETHYLENE GLYCOL DODECYL ETHER

Laureth-4 is a synthetic polymer composed of lauryl alcohol and PEG (polyethylene glycol). Due to the presence of PEG, this ingredient may contain potentially toxic manufacturing impurities such as 1,4-dioxane.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

  • LOW
    Cancer
  • LOW
    Allergies & Immunotoxicity
  • LOW
    Developmental and Reingredientive Toxicity
  • LOW
    Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

Expand content Collapse content
shampoo118 products
body wash/cleanser88 products
foundation76 products
liquid hand soap66 products
facial moisturizer/treatment26 products
hair color and bleaching23 products
bronzer/highlighter21 products
blush21 products
conditioner21 products
facial cleanser18 products
hair treatment/serum15 products
eye shadow15 products
serums & essences14 products
styling mousse/foam13 products
moisturizer13 products
concealer13 products
bubble bath12 products
glitter10 products
exfoliant/scrub10 products
lipstick8 products
styling gel/lotion6 products
hair styling aide6 products
around-eye cream6 products
hair spray5 products
baby shampoo5 products
sunless tanning5 products
daily use with SPF5 products
mask4 products
hand cream4 products
baby soap3 products
3 products
after shave3 products
anti-aging3 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)3 products
beard cleanser2 products
detangler2 products
toners/astringents2 products
foot moisturizer2 products
mascara2 products
baby bubble bath2 products
oil controller1 products
setting powder/spray1 products
recreational sunscreen1 products
vapor rubs1 products
makeup primer1 products
hair-loss treatment1 products
antiperspirant/deodorant1 products

Contamination concerns

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Chemical
ETHYLENE OXIDE
1,4-DIOXANE

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Human any irritant - strong evidenceCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Use restrictions

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - anyCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Safety assessment was based on related chemicalCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
40 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

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
  • 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.

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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