Polymethyl Methacrylate
- This ingredient’s score is higher if used in products that are inhalable (e.g., sprays, powders) because of respiratory concerns.
Other Concerns
Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate) and Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (low)SYNONYMS
Restricted
Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation
Polymethyl methacyrlate is a synthetic polymer.
Common concerns
See how this product scores for common concerns.
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LOWCancer
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MODERATEAllergies & Immunotoxicity
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LOWDevelopmental and Reproductive Toxicity
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LOWUse Restrictions
Ingredient concerns
- CONCERNS
- DATA SOURCES
Products with this Ingredient
foundation | 158 products |
nail glue | 132 products |
lipstick | 74 products |
bronzer/highlighter | 59 products |
blush | 53 products |
concealer | 43 products |
eye shadow | 30 products |
eye liner | 26 products |
glitter | 23 products |
facial powder | 22 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 19 products |
setting powder/spray | 18 products |
around-eye cream | 17 products |
daily use with SPF | 15 products |
makeup primer | 13 products |
nail polish | 12 products |
recreational sunscreen | 11 products |
brow liner | 9 products |
lip liner | 9 products |
lip gloss | 8 products |
moisturizer | 5 products |
hair color and bleaching | 5 products |
serums & essences | 5 products |
3 products | |
anti-aging | 3 products |
other eye makeup | 3 products |
hair styling aide | 2 products |
BB cream | 2 products |
mascara | 2 products |
fragrance for women | 2 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 1 products |
eyelash glue | 1 products |
lip balm | 1 products |
CC cream | 1 products |
foot moisturizer | 1 products |
body firming lotion | 1 products |
Allergies/immunotoxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Human any toxicant or allergen - strong evidence | Open scientific literature |
Limited evidence of any toxicity or allergies | Open scientific literature |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Classified as expected to be toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Classified as medium human health priority | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
any irritation - weight of evidence unknown/unassessed | Open scientific literature |
Occupational hazards
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Single case study detailing occupational hazards | National Library of Medicine HazMap |
Data gaps
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 product | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
8964 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 |
Ecotoxicology
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Cancer
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Not likely to be carcinogenic in humans | Open scientific literature |
Limited or incomplete evidence of cancer according to safety/hazard data – government assessment cannot classify as human carcinogen due to data gaps | Int'l Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) - Carcinogens |
- Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
- EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
- NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2006. HazMap — Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents.
- 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.
- IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer). 2008. Overall Evaluations of Carcinogenicity to Humans, as evaluated in IARC Monographs Volumes 1-99 (a total of 935 agents, mixtures and exposures).
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.