EWG Skin Deep® | What is PCA

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Good

Pca

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Use restrictions (low), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (low), Ecotoxicology (low), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (low), and Contamination concerns (high)

SYNONYMS

● 2-PYRROLIDONE-5-CARBOXYLIC ACID

● 3(2H)-PYRIDAZINONE, 5-AMINO-4-CHLORO-2-PHENYL-

● 5-OXO- L-PROLINE

● 5-OXO-L-PROLINE

● CHLORIDAZON

● DL-PYRROLIDONECARBOXYLIC ACID

● GLUTIMIC ACID

● GLUTIMINIC ACID

● L-PROLINE, 5-OXO-

● L-PYROGLUTAMIC ACID

● PCA

Restricted

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

PCA is a cyclic organic compound.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

LOW

Cancer
MODERATE

Allergies & Immunotoxicity
LOW

Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
LOW

Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

CONCERNS
DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

foundation	65 products
shampoo	34 products
conditioner	26 products
facial moisturizer/treatment	22 products
hair treatment/serum	15 products
liquid hand soap	13 products
body wash/cleanser	12 products
facial cleanser	11 products
mask	10 products
hair styling aide	10 products
serums & essences	10 products
exfoliant/scrub	8 products
toners/astringents	4 products
around-eye cream	4 products
styling gel/lotion	3 products
moisturizer	3 products
body firming lotion	2 products
hair spray	2 products
makeup remover	2 products
bar soap	1 products
makeup primer	1 products
hair-loss treatment	1 products
recreational sunscreen	1 products
shaving cream	1 products
after sun product	1 products
other eye makeup	1 products
damaged skin treatment	1 products
detangler	1 products
styling mousse/foam	1 products

Contamination concerns

Chemical
NITROSAMINES

Allergies/immunotoxicity

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Limited evidence of immune system toxicity or allergies	Scorecard.org Toxicity Information
Limited evidence of immune system toxicity or allergies	CPS&Q - Classification & Labelling

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Limited evidence of sense organ toxicity	Scorecard.org Toxicity Information
Classified as toxic or harmful.	Open scientific literature

Use restrictions

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - Safe for use in cosmetics with some qualifications	Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Limited evidence of any irritation	Open scientific literature

Ecotoxicology

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Wildlife and environmental toxicity	CPS&Q - Classification & Labelling

Data gaps

CONCERN	REFERENCE
20912 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical	NLM PubMed

ED (Environmental Defense). 2006. Scorecard _ The Pollution Information Site. http://www.scorecard.org.
CPS&Q (Consumer Products Safety & Quality) formely known as ECB (European Chemicals Bureau). 2008. Classification and Labelling: Chemicals: Annex VI of Directive 67/548/EEC through the 31st ATP.
Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
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.

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.

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