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 | 1712 products |
moisturizer | 1229 products |
eye shadow | 1105 products |
concealer | 1102 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 1089 products |
conditioner | 1051 products |
lipstick | 989 products |
shampoo | 896 products |
mask | 825 products |
lip gloss | 714 products |
serums & essences | 671 products |
hair treatment/serum | 628 products |
facial cleanser | 608 products |
hair styling aide | 583 products |
body wash/cleanser | 566 products |
bronzer/highlighter | 531 products |
eye liner | 507 products |
brow liner | 503 products |
blush | 474 products |
mascara | 470 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 439 products |
daily use with SPF | 389 products |
recreational sunscreen | 345 products |
around-eye cream | 344 products |
hand cream | 313 products |
lip balm | 309 products |
styling gel/lotion | 308 products |
makeup primer | 255 products |
hair color and bleaching | 249 products |
toners/astringents | 231 products |
liquid hand soap | 229 products |
setting powder/spray | 190 products |
sunless tanning | 146 products |
makeup remover | 142 products |
facial powder | 129 products |
CC cream | 128 products |
lip liner | 120 products |
BB cream | 114 products |
hair spray | 98 products |
anti-aging | 91 products |
shaving cream | 91 products |
styling mousse/foam | 90 products |
lip plumper | 85 products |
detangler | 80 products |
bubble bath | 70 products |
baby lotion | 60 products |
59 products | |
body firming lotion | 57 products |
hand sanitizer | 54 products |
eyelash glue | 54 products |
after shave | 53 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant | 52 products |
glitter | 49 products |
body spray | 46 products |
baby wipes | 43 products |
body oil | 41 products |
foot moisturizer | 39 products |
baby sunscreen | 37 products |
after sun product | 36 products |
bath oil/salts/soak | 36 products |
baby shampoo | 35 products |
baby soap | 34 products |
shaving cream (men's) | 34 products |
beard care | 30 products |
beard cleanser | 25 products |
bar soap | 21 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 |
eye makeup remover | 14 products |
nail treatment | 14 products |
fragrance for women | 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 |
nail glue | 7 products |
foot odor control | 6 products |
baby bubble bath | 5 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's) | 5 products |
hair removal waxes | 4 products |
hair relaxer | 4 products |
polish remover | 4 products |
lip balm with SPF | 4 products |
tooth whitening | 3 products |
beard oil | 3 products |
depilatory | 2 products |
baby oil | 2 products |
vapor rubs | 2 products |
oil controller | 1 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.