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Data: Limited

Magnesium Stearate

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns


SYNONYMS

● MAGNESIUM DISTEARATE
● MAGNESIUM OCTADECANOATE
● MAGNESIUM SALT OCTADECANOIC ACID
● MAGNESIUM SALT STEARIC ACID
● MAGNESIUM STEARATE
● OCTADECANOIC ACID, MAGNESIUM SALT
● STEARIC ACID, MAGNESIUM SALT

Restricted

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


Magnesium stearate is a magnesium salt of stearic acid, a naturally occurring fatty 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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eye shadow459 products
bronzer/highlighter138 products
blush99 products
foundation76 products
facial powder65 products
lipstick41 products
concealer40 products
shampoo29 products
brow liner25 products
BB cream24 products
setting powder/spray21 products
hair color and bleaching19 products
makeup primer10 products
antiperspirant/deodorant10 products
moisturizer9 products
sunless tanning8 products
CC cream6 products
mascara6 products
eye liner6 products
facial moisturizer/treatment5 products
body powder5 products
toothpaste4 products
hair spray4 products
hair styling aide4 products
bar soap3 products
hair treatment/serum3 products
recreational sunscreen3 products
tooth whitening3 products
body spray3 products
baby sunscreen3 products
serums & essences2 products
glitter2 products
lip balm2 products
daily use with SPF2 products
facial cleanser2 products
mouthwash2 products
lip liner2 products
baby powder1 products
eyelash glue1 products
baby shampoo1 products
bubble bath1 products
lip gloss1 products
beard cleanser1 products
around-eye cream1 products
nail polish1 products
body wash/cleanser1 products
foot odor control1 products
anti-aging1 products
lip balm with SPF1 products
bath oil/salts/soak1 products
diaper cream1 products
mask1 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)1 products

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

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Uncertain environmental toxin and uncertain persistent or bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Multiple, additive exposure sources

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

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

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
Classified as a low human health priorityEnvironment 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
  • 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.
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
  • 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.

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

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

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