Other Concerns
Use restrictions (high), Persistence and bioaccumulation (moderate), Ecotoxicology (low), and Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (moderate)SYNONYMS
Unacceptable
Unacceptable: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient
Methylchloroisothiazolinone is a widely-used preservative; has been associated with allergic reactions.
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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HIGHUse Restrictions
Ingredient concerns
- CONCERNS
- DATA SOURCES
Products with this Ingredient
shampoo | 500 products |
conditioner | 424 products |
liquid hand soap | 389 products |
body wash/cleanser | 359 products |
hair color and bleaching | 61 products |
bubble bath | 47 products |
hair treatment/serum | 46 products |
facial cleanser | 36 products |
moisturizer | 35 products |
bath oil/salts/soak | 21 products |
styling gel/lotion | 14 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 12 products |
beard cleanser | 10 products |
baby shampoo | 10 products |
mask | 10 products |
hair styling aide | 9 products |
baby bubble bath | 8 products |
baby wipes | 8 products |
body cleansing wipes | 5 products |
4 products | |
hand sanitizer | 4 products |
baby soap | 4 products |
toners/astringents | 3 products |
hand cream | 2 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 2 products |
bar soap | 2 products |
muscle/joint soreness | 2 products |
shaving cream | 2 products |
eyelash glue | 2 products |
hair spray | 2 products |
baby lotion | 1 products |
body spray | 1 products |
styling mousse/foam | 1 products |
beard care | 1 products |
eye liner | 1 products |
baby oil | 1 products |
after sun product | 1 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant | 1 products |
hair relaxer | 1 products |
damaged skin treatment | 1 products |
sunless tanning | 1 products |
lipstick | 1 products |
Use restrictions
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Violation of government restrictions - Banned or found unsafe for use in cosmetics | Canada - Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetics Ingredients |
Violation of government restrictions - Restricted in cosmetics; use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - any | Open scientific literature |
Restricted in cosmetics (recommendations or requirements) - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Use is restricted in Canadian cosmetics | Canada - Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetics Ingredients |
Restricted in cosmetics (recommendations or requirements) - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Japan - prohibited for use in some types of cosmetics when combined with certain other ingredients | Japan's Standards for Cosmetics |
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - Safe for use in cosmetics with some qualifications | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Persistent or bioaccumulative and moderate to high toxicity concern in humans | Open scientific literature |
Not suspected to be persistent | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Possible human skin irritant | Open scientific literature |
Allergies/immunotoxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Human skin toxicant or allergen - strong evidence | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Human skin toxicant or allergen - moderate evidence | Open scientific literature |
One or more human case studies show significant skin or allergenic effects | Open scientific literature |
Limited evidence of immune system toxicity or allergies | Scorecard.org Toxicity Information |
Limited evidence of immune system toxicity or allergies | National Library of Medicine HazMap |
Cancer
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Mutagen - limited evidence | Open scientific literature |
Ecotoxicology
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Wildlife and environmental toxicity | Open scientific literature |
Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
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 |
232 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
- Health Canada. 2007. List of Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetic Ingredients. Canada's Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist. March 2007.
- Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
- Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. 2006. Standards for Cosmetics. Evaluation and Licensing Division. Pharmaceutical and Food Safety Bureau.
- CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC.
- EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
- ED (Environmental Defense). 2006. Scorecard _ The Pollution Information Site. http://www.scorecard.org.
- 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.
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.