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Data: Limited

Potassium Sorbate

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (low)

SYNONYMS

2,4-HEXADIENOIC ACID, POTASSIUM SALT, 2,4HEXADIENOIC ACID, POTASSIUM SALT, POTASSIUM SALT 2,4-HEXADIENOIC ACID, and POTASSIUM SORBATE

Potassium sorbate is a potassium salt of sorbic acid, a naturally occuringantimicrobial compound; used as a preservative

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

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

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

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foundation801 products
shampoo440 products
moisturizer427 products
conditioner407 products
facial moisturizer/treatment401 products
concealer344 products
body wash/cleanser285 products
facial cleanser278 products
mask255 products
serums & essences245 products
liquid hand soap228 products
mascara204 products
hair treatment/serum179 products
eye shadow169 products
around-eye cream136 products
toners/astringents125 products
exfoliant/scrub118 products
daily use with SPF105 products
bronzer/highlighter95 products
hand cream92 products
hair styling aide92 products
makeup primer85 products
eye liner84 products
brow liner83 products
makeup remover77 products
blush77 products
recreational sunscreen65 products
hair color and bleaching64 products
setting powder/spray64 products
toothpaste58 products
lipstick56 products
styling gel/lotion55 products
sunless tanning55 products
bubble bath51 products
body firming lotion47 products
lip gloss43 products
baby shampoo41 products
facial powder39 products
BB cream39 products
baby wipes38 products
baby soap35 products
34 products
anti-aging32 products
mouthwash29 products
CC cream28 products
antiperspirant/deodorant26 products
shaving cream26 products
detangler25 products
hand sanitizer23 products
baby lotion23 products
body spray22 products
hair spray22 products
baby bubble bath16 products
after sun product16 products
glitter16 products
after shave15 products
baby toothpaste15 products
beard care14 products
foot moisturizer13 products
styling mousse/foam13 products
bath oil/salts/soak13 products
shaving cream (men's)11 products
eye makeup remover11 products
baby sunscreen10 products
bar soap9 products
hair-loss treatment8 products
skin fading/lightener7 products
nail treatment7 products
body oil7 products
lip balm7 products
tooth whitening5 products
other eye makeup5 products
muscle/joint soreness4 products
oil controller4 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)4 products
tanning oil4 products
beard cleanser4 products
diaper cream3 products
nail polish3 products
fragrance for women3 products
damaged skin treatment3 products
foot odor control3 products
polish remover3 products
cuticle treatment2 products
baby oil2 products
lip balm with SPF2 products
eyelash glue2 products
depilatory1 products
hair relaxer1 products
lip plumper1 products
pore strips1 products
body art1 products

Allergies/immunotoxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Human skin toxicant or allergen - strong evidenceCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Limited evidence of sense organ toxicityScorecard.org Toxicity Information
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Data gaps

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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
356 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

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

Multiple, additive exposure sources

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodFDA Everything Added to Food
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodFDA Food Additive Status

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
  • CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC.
  • ED (Environmental Defense). 2006. Scorecard _ The Pollution Information Site. http://www.scorecard.org.
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
  • FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). 2008. EAFUS [Everything Added to Food]: A Food Additive Database. FDA Office of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
  • FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) 2006. Food Additive Status List. Downloaded from http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/%7Edms/opa-appa.html, Oct 16, 2006.

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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