Phenoxyethanol
- This ingredient’s score is higher if used in products that are inhalable (e.g., sprays, powders) because of respiratory concerns.
- This ingredient’s score is higher if used in products intended for use around mouth due to increased risk of ingestion and absorption.
- This ingredient’s score is higher if used in products intended for use on lips due to increased risk of ingestion and absorption.
- Products with the EWG VERIFIED mark have met use restrictions and warnings based on EWG review of company data.
Other Concerns
Use restrictions (moderate), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (high), and Occupational hazards (high)SYNONYMS
Restricted
Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation
Phenoxyethanol is a preservative used in cosmetics and personal care products.
Common concerns
See how this product scores for common concerns.
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LOWCancer
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LOWAllergies & Immunotoxicity
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LOWDevelopmental and Reproductive Toxicity
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MODERATEUse Restrictions
Ingredient concerns
- CONCERNS
- DATA SOURCES
Products with this Ingredient
foundation | 1731 products |
moisturizer | 1233 products |
eye shadow | 1164 products |
concealer | 1108 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 1094 products |
conditioner | 1056 products |
lipstick | 1008 products |
shampoo | 904 products |
mask | 844 products |
lip gloss | 724 products |
serums & essences | 677 products |
hair treatment/serum | 629 products |
facial cleanser | 610 products |
hair styling aide | 589 products |
body wash/cleanser | 567 products |
bronzer/highlighter | 538 products |
brow liner | 534 products |
eye liner | 509 products |
blush | 482 products |
mascara | 476 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 443 products |
daily use with SPF | 390 products |
around-eye cream | 348 products |
recreational sunscreen | 345 products |
lip balm | 336 products |
hand cream | 315 products |
styling gel/lotion | 312 products |
makeup primer | 259 products |
hair color and bleaching | 249 products |
toners/astringents | 232 products |
liquid hand soap | 220 products |
setting powder/spray | 192 products |
sunless tanning | 146 products |
makeup remover | 144 products |
facial powder | 129 products |
CC cream | 128 products |
lip liner | 120 products |
BB cream | 114 products |
hair spray | 99 products |
anti-aging | 93 products |
shaving cream | 91 products |
styling mousse/foam | 90 products |
lip plumper | 85 products |
detangler | 80 products |
bubble bath | 76 products |
baby lotion | 60 products |
60 products | |
body firming lotion | 56 products |
hand sanitizer | 55 products |
after shave | 54 products |
eyelash glue | 54 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant | 53 products |
glitter | 49 products |
body spray | 47 products |
baby wipes | 43 products |
body oil | 40 products |
foot moisturizer | 39 products |
shaving cream (men's) | 38 products |
bath oil/salts/soak | 37 products |
baby sunscreen | 37 products |
after sun product | 36 products |
baby shampoo | 34 products |
baby soap | 34 products |
beard care | 31 products |
beard cleanser | 26 products |
bar soap | 23 products |
skin fading/lightener | 19 products |
muscle/joint soreness | 19 products |
body cleansing wipes | 19 products |
foot cleansing | 17 products |
hair-loss treatment | 16 products |
damaged skin treatment | 15 products |
nail treatment | 14 products |
fragrance for women | 13 products |
eye makeup remover | 13 products |
tanning oil | 13 products |
facial cleansing wipes | 13 products |
other eye makeup | 12 products |
body powder | 12 products |
makeup removing wipes | 12 products |
nail polish | 11 products |
diaper cream | 8 products |
cuticle treatment | 8 products |
body art | 8 products |
pore strips | 8 products |
foot odor control | 6 products |
baby bubble bath | 6 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's) | 6 products |
nail glue | 6 products |
hair removal waxes | 4 products |
hair relaxer | 4 products |
polish remover | 4 products |
tooth whitening | 3 products |
lip balm with SPF | 3 products |
beard oil | 3 products |
oil controller | 2 products |
depilatory | 2 products |
baby oil | 2 products |
vapor rubs | 2 products |
other men's products | 1 products |
hair perm | 1 products |
Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Classified as irritant | CPS&Q - Classification & Labelling |
Occupational hazards
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Allowed workplace exposures restricted to low doses | CPS&Q - Classification & Labelling |
Use restrictions
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Restricted in cosmetics (recommendations or requirements) - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Japan - restricted for use in cosmetics (concentration limit) | Japan's Standards for Cosmetics |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Limited evidence of nervous toxicity | Open scientific literature |
Classified as toxic or harmful | CPS&Q - Classification & Labelling |
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Classified as a low human health priority | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Allergies/immunotoxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Limited evidence of skin and immune system toxicity or allergies | Open scientific literature |
Ecotoxicology
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Wildlife and environmental toxicity | Open scientific literature |
Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Data gaps
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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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 |
279 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
Informational
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - any | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Not suspected to be persistent | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
- 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.
- Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. 2006. Standards for Cosmetics. Evaluation and Licensing Division. Pharmaceutical and Food Safety Bureau.
- Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
- EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
- 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 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.