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Data: Limited

Potassium Sorbate

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

SEARCH PRODUCTS

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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foundation700 products
shampoo453 products
conditioner412 products
facial moisturizer/treatment398 products
moisturizer383 products
body wash/cleanser286 products
facial cleanser284 products
concealer282 products
mask252 products
serums & essences242 products
liquid hand soap221 products
mascara185 products
hair treatment/serum185 products
eye shadow178 products
around-eye cream139 products
toners/astringents124 products
exfoliant/scrub117 products
daily use with SPF105 products
hair styling aide90 products
hand cream88 products
brow liner81 products
makeup primer75 products
eye liner74 products
makeup remover73 products
bronzer/highlighter73 products
recreational sunscreen68 products
blush66 products
hair color and bleaching65 products
setting powder/spray65 products
sunless tanning63 products
toothpaste57 products
lipstick56 products
styling gel/lotion52 products
bubble bath50 products
BB cream49 products
body firming lotion43 products
baby wipes43 products
lip gloss43 products
baby shampoo41 products
34 products
facial powder33 products
baby soap33 products
anti-aging29 products
CC cream28 products
antiperspirant/deodorant26 products
detangler26 products
shaving cream26 products
body spray25 products
mouthwash24 products
hand sanitizer24 products
baby lotion22 products
hair spray20 products
after sun product16 products
glitter16 products
baby toothpaste14 products
beard care14 products
foot moisturizer13 products
styling mousse/foam13 products
baby bubble bath13 products
after shave13 products
bath oil/salts/soak12 products
eye makeup remover11 products
shaving cream (men's)10 products
baby sunscreen10 products
hair-loss treatment9 products
bar soap9 products
skin fading/lightener8 products
nail treatment7 products
body oil7 products
lip balm7 products
muscle/joint soreness5 products
tooth whitening5 products
oil controller5 products
other eye makeup5 products
nail polish4 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)4 products
tanning oil4 products
diaper cream3 products
fragrance for women3 products
foot odor control3 products
beard cleanser3 products
polish remover3 products
eyelash glue3 products
cuticle treatment2 products
baby oil2 products
lip balm with SPF2 products
depilatory1 products
hair relaxer1 products
damaged skin treatment1 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?

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