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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED®

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
● POTASSIUM SORBATE

Restricted

Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation

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 Reproductive Toxicity
  • LOW
    Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

Expand content Collapse content
foundation591 products
shampoo545 products
conditioner490 products
facial moisturizer/treatment474 products
moisturizer399 products
body wash/cleanser341 products
serums & essences316 products
concealer303 products
facial cleanser299 products
mask283 products
eye shadow282 products
hair treatment/serum246 products
liquid hand soap219 products
mascara202 products
around-eye cream201 products
hair styling aide170 products
toners/astringents137 products
exfoliant/scrub136 products
daily use with SPF133 products
brow liner122 products
eye liner98 products
hand cream93 products
lipstick85 products
styling gel/lotion81 products
makeup primer81 products
blush79 products
bronzer/highlighter73 products
setting powder/spray70 products
sunless tanning66 products
hair color and bleaching66 products
makeup remover61 products
BB cream61 products
toothpaste51 products
bubble bath47 products
recreational sunscreen47 products
baby wipes43 products
baby shampoo41 products
antiperspirant/deodorant34 products
baby soap33 products
body spray32 products
detangler32 products
hair spray32 products
anti-aging31 products
31 products
hand sanitizer28 products
shaving cream27 products
styling mousse/foam26 products
facial powder25 products
lip gloss25 products
mouthwash24 products
body firming lotion22 products
baby lotion22 products
glitter21 products
after sun product18 products
after shave15 products
baby toothpaste15 products
lip balm15 products
beard care15 products
bath oil/salts/soak14 products
facial cleansing wipes13 products
baby bubble bath12 products
skin fading/lightener11 products
shaving cream (men's)11 products
foot moisturizer9 products
hair-loss treatment9 products
bar soap9 products
body cleansing wipes9 products
body oil8 products
other eye makeup8 products
beard cleanser8 products
nail treatment7 products
tanning oil7 products
nail polish6 products
fragrance for women6 products
CC cream6 products
baby sunscreen6 products
tooth whitening5 products
oil controller5 products
muscle/joint soreness4 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)4 products
eye makeup remover3 products
fragrance for men3 products
pore strips3 products
eyelash glue3 products
diaper cream2 products
lip balm with SPF2 products
makeup removing wipes2 products
cuticle treatment1 products
depilatory1 products
hair relaxer1 products
baby oil1 products
damaged skin treatment1 products
foot odor control1 products
polish remover1 products
exfoliant/scrub - large particle1 products

Allergies/immunotoxicity

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

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

Expand content Collapse content
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

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

Ecotoxicology

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

Persistence and bioaccumulation

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be persistentEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Multiple, additive exposure sources

Expand content Collapse content
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

Expand content Collapse content
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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September 23, 2023 | Los Angeles, CA

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