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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Limited

Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil

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Other Concerns

SYNONYMS

EVENING PRIMROSE ESSENTIAL OIL, EVENING PRIMROSE OIL, EVENING PRIMROSE, OENOTHERA BIENNIS, EXT., OENOTHERA BIENNIS (EVENING PRIMROSE) ESSENTIAL OIL, OENOTHERA BIENNIS (EVENING PRIMROSE) OIL, OENOTHERA BIENNIS ESSENTIAL OIL, OENOTHERA BIENNIS OIL, OIL OF EVENING PRIMROSE, PRIMROSE OIL, TEOENTHERA BIENNIS (EVENING PRIMROSE) OIL, and TEOENTHERA BIENNIS OIL

This ingredient is not currently on EWG's Skin Deep Restricted or Unacceptable Lists.

Evening Primrose oil is extracted from Oenothera biennis, a plant native to North America.

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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facial moisturizer/treatment123 products
conditioner53 products
exfoliant/scrub48 products
serums & essences41 products
moisturizer37 products
around-eye cream29 products
mask22 products
facial cleanser21 products
body oil17 products
hair treatment/serum17 products
baby lotion14 products
foundation13 products
lip gloss13 products
anti-aging13 products
lipstick11 products
CC cream7 products
shampoo7 products
daily use with SPF6 products
damaged skin treatment6 products
hand cream6 products
lip balm5 products
hair color and bleaching5 products
4 products
toners/astringents4 products
beard oil3 products
setting powder/spray3 products
makeup remover3 products
muscle/joint soreness3 products
shaving cream3 products
hair styling aide2 products
foot moisturizer2 products
body wash/cleanser2 products
diaper cream2 products
bar soap1 products
lip balm with SPF1 products
recreational sunscreen1 products
after shave1 products
makeup primer1 products
cuticle treatment1 products
liquid hand soap1 products
hair spray1 products
fragrance for women1 products
oil controller1 products
styling gel/lotion1 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
540 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

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

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.
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.

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.

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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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