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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Limited

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.

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Use restrictions (moderate), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (high), and Occupational hazards (high)

SYNONYMS

● 2-HYDROXYETHYL PHENYL ETHER
● 2-PHENOXY- ETHANOL
● 2-PHENOXYETHANOL
● 2-PHENOXYETHYL ALCOHOL
● ETHANOL, 2-PHENOXY-
● ETHANOL, 2PHENOXY
● ETHYLENE GLYCOL MONOPHENYL ETHER
● PHENOXYETHANOL
● PHENOXYTOL

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.

  • LOW
    Cancer
  • LOW
    Allergies & Immunotoxicity
  • LOW
    Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
  • MODERATE
    Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

Expand content Collapse content
foundation2007 products
eye shadow1392 products
moisturizer1163 products
concealer1145 products
lipstick1141 products
facial moisturizer/treatment1086 products
conditioner1010 products
mask868 products
shampoo843 products
lip gloss814 products
serums & essences668 products
facial cleanser629 products
hair treatment/serum591 products
body wash/cleanser554 products
blush553 products
bronzer/highlighter526 products
hair styling aide526 products
mascara515 products
eye liner509 products
brow liner499 products
exfoliant/scrub453 products
daily use with SPF418 products
lip balm397 products
recreational sunscreen338 products
hand cream333 products
around-eye cream329 products
styling gel/lotion279 products
makeup primer274 products
toners/astringents248 products
liquid hand soap235 products
hair color and bleaching220 products
setting powder/spray210 products
facial powder180 products
body firming lotion178 products
makeup remover170 products
sunless tanning139 products
CC cream124 products
lip liner119 products
BB cream108 products
hair spray93 products
shaving cream90 products
anti-aging83 products
detangler80 products
lip plumper77 products
styling mousse/foam76 products
bubble bath75 products
73 products
hand sanitizer69 products
baby lotion60 products
glitter60 products
after shave57 products
eyelash glue51 products
baby wipes48 products
foot moisturizer47 products
antiperspirant/deodorant46 products
body spray45 products
after sun product45 products
body oil43 products
baby sunscreen43 products
beard care38 products
shaving cream (men's)37 products
bath oil/salts/soak32 products
baby shampoo29 products
baby soap26 products
beard cleanser26 products
bar soap25 products
foot cleansing22 products
damaged skin treatment16 products
hair-loss treatment15 products
nail treatment15 products
skin fading/lightener14 products
fragrance for women14 products
eye makeup remover14 products
other eye makeup13 products
muscle/joint soreness12 products
body powder12 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)11 products
tanning oil10 products
nail polish9 products
diaper cream9 products
cuticle treatment9 products
lip balm with SPF9 products
body cleansing wipes9 products
pore strips8 products
baby bubble bath7 products
facial cleansing wipes7 products
foot odor control6 products
makeup removing wipes6 products
oil controller5 products
hair relaxer4 products
hair removal waxes3 products
beard oil3 products
baby oil2 products
tooth whitening2 products
polish remover2 products
vapor rubs2 products
depilatory1 products
other men's products1 products
body art1 products
nail glue1 products

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as irritantCPS&Q - Classification & Labelling

Occupational hazards

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Allowed workplace exposures restricted to low dosesCPS&Q - Classification & Labelling

Use restrictions

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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)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Limited evidence of nervous toxicityOpen scientific literature
Classified as toxic or harmfulCPS&Q - Classification & Labelling
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Classified as a low human health priorityEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Allergies/immunotoxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Limited evidence of skin and immune system toxicity or allergiesOpen scientific literature

Ecotoxicology

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Wildlife and environmental toxicityOpen scientific literature
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Data gaps

Expand content Collapse content
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
279 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

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

Persistence and bioaccumulation

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be persistentEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeEnvironment 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 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.

Score legend
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.

Can’t find your product?

Enter the ingredients in EWG’s Build Your Own Report tool to get an approximate score for that product.

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