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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Limited

Levulinic Acid

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

SYNONYMS

3-ACETYLPROPIONIC ACID, 4-KETOVALERIC ACID, 4-OXO PENTANOIC ACID, 4-OXOPENTANOIC ACID, 4-OXOVALERIC ACID, LEVULINIC ACID, PENTANOIC ACID, 4-OXO, and PENTANOIC ACID, 4OXO

Restricted

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

Levulinic Acid is an organic acid.

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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moisturizer42 products
shampoo21 products
facial moisturizer/treatment20 products
body wash/cleanser19 products
baby lotion17 products
hand cream14 products
facial cleanser14 products
11 products
exfoliant/scrub11 products
baby wipes10 products
conditioner10 products
body spray9 products
antiperspirant/deodorant8 products
serums & essences7 products
mask5 products
bubble bath5 products
toners/astringents5 products
baby sunscreen5 products
recreational sunscreen5 products
liquid hand soap4 products
makeup remover4 products
baby soap2 products
baby shampoo2 products
styling gel/lotion2 products
diaper cream2 products
hair treatment/serum2 products
hand sanitizer2 products
after sun product2 products
around-eye cream2 products
anti-aging2 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)1 products
sunless tanning1 products
baby toothpaste1 products
bronzer/highlighter1 products
skin fading/lightener1 products
hair spray1 products
baby bubble bath1 products
facial powder1 products

Multiple, additive exposure sources

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodFDA Everything Added to Food

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
589 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 - anyOpen scientific literature

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

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

Persistence and bioaccumulation

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be persistentEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Cancer

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not likely to be carcinogenic in humansEPA Water Disinfection By-Products Carcinogenicity
  • 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.
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
  • Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
  • EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 2006. EPA Water Disinfection By-Products with Carcinogenicity Estimates. Last updated: 10 April 2006.

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?

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