Lecithin
- 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.
Other Concerns
Enhanced skin absorption, Use restrictions (low), Multiple, additive exposure sources (low), and Contamination concerns (high)SYNONYMS
Restricted
Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation
Lecithin is a naturally ocurring lipid found in both plants and animals. According to the PETA's Caring Consumer guide, lecithin for com mercial purposes is most commonly obtain from eggs and soybeans.
Common concerns
See how this product scores for common concerns.
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LOWCancer
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MODERATEAllergies & Immunotoxicity
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LOWDevelopmental and Reproductive Toxicity
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LOWUse Restrictions
Ingredient concerns
- CONCERNS
- DATA SOURCES
Products with this Ingredient
foundation | 476 products |
concealer | 243 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 240 products |
daily use with SPF | 232 products |
lipstick | 229 products |
moisturizer | 185 products |
serums & essences | 140 products |
around-eye cream | 102 products |
mask | 92 products |
eye liner | 89 products |
eye shadow | 84 products |
mascara | 77 products |
blush | 65 products |
recreational sunscreen | 63 products |
lip liner | 60 products |
facial cleanser | 59 products |
bronzer/highlighter | 56 products |
lip gloss | 55 products |
shampoo | 53 products |
brow liner | 53 products |
conditioner | 51 products |
lip balm | 39 products |
36 products | |
hand cream | 33 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 28 products |
body wash/cleanser | 25 products |
BB cream | 21 products |
makeup primer | 20 products |
hair treatment/serum | 20 products |
anti-aging | 15 products |
toners/astringents | 12 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant | 11 products |
setting powder/spray | 11 products |
hair-loss treatment | 10 products |
facial powder | 9 products |
nail treatment | 9 products |
body firming lotion | 9 products |
baby lotion | 9 products |
sunless tanning | 8 products |
skin fading/lightener | 6 products |
body oil | 6 products |
liquid hand soap | 6 products |
lip balm with SPF | 6 products |
makeup remover | 5 products |
hair styling aide | 5 products |
baby sunscreen | 5 products |
foot moisturizer | 4 products |
after shave | 4 products |
diaper cream | 4 products |
after sun product | 4 products |
baby soap | 4 products |
muscle/joint soreness | 3 products |
styling gel/lotion | 3 products |
baby shampoo | 3 products |
damaged skin treatment | 3 products |
shaving cream | 2 products |
cuticle treatment | 2 products |
styling mousse/foam | 2 products |
baby oil | 2 products |
bath oil/salts/soak | 2 products |
baby bubble bath | 2 products |
hair color and bleaching | 1 products |
nail polish | 1 products |
hair spray | 1 products |
detangler | 1 products |
body spray | 1 products |
baby wipes | 1 products |
tanning oil | 1 products |
beard cleanser | 1 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's) | 1 products |
foot odor control | 1 products |
shaving cream (men's) | 1 products |
beard oil | 1 products |
Contamination concerns
Chemical |
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NITROSAMINES |
Enhanced skin absorption
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Penetration enhancer | Open scientific literature |
Allergies/immunotoxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Human any toxicant or allergen - strong evidence | Open scientific literature |
One or more human case studies show possible immune and respiratory or allergenic effects | Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics |
Multiple, additive exposure sources
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Used in food or as an additive with limited or no toxicity information available | FDA Everything Added to Food |
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Everything Added to Food |
Use restrictions
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - any | Open scientific literature |
Developmental/reproductive toxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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One or more animal studies show female reproductive system effects at high doses | Open scientific literature |
Ecotoxicology
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Uncertain environmental toxin and uncertain persistent or bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Data gaps
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Safety unknown for products that may be inhaled | Open scientific literature |
Risk assessment method deficiencies and data gaps - any | Open scientific literature |
18085 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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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 |
- Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
- AOEC (Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics). 2009. AEOC exposures codes and asthmagen designation.
- 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.
- 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 SCORESHazard 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.