Other Concerns
Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (low)SYNONYMS
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.
-
LOWCancer
-
MODERATEAllergies & Immunotoxicity
-
LOWDevelopmental and Reproductive Toxicity
-
LOWUse Restrictions
Ingredient concerns
- CONCERNS
- DATA SOURCES
Products with this Ingredient
foundation | 591 products |
shampoo | 545 products |
conditioner | 490 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 474 products |
moisturizer | 399 products |
body wash/cleanser | 341 products |
serums & essences | 316 products |
concealer | 303 products |
facial cleanser | 299 products |
mask | 283 products |
eye shadow | 282 products |
hair treatment/serum | 246 products |
liquid hand soap | 219 products |
mascara | 202 products |
around-eye cream | 201 products |
hair styling aide | 170 products |
toners/astringents | 137 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 136 products |
daily use with SPF | 133 products |
brow liner | 122 products |
eye liner | 98 products |
hand cream | 93 products |
lipstick | 85 products |
styling gel/lotion | 81 products |
makeup primer | 81 products |
blush | 79 products |
bronzer/highlighter | 73 products |
setting powder/spray | 70 products |
sunless tanning | 66 products |
hair color and bleaching | 66 products |
makeup remover | 61 products |
BB cream | 61 products |
toothpaste | 51 products |
bubble bath | 47 products |
recreational sunscreen | 47 products |
baby wipes | 43 products |
baby shampoo | 41 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant | 34 products |
baby soap | 33 products |
body spray | 32 products |
detangler | 32 products |
hair spray | 32 products |
anti-aging | 31 products |
31 products | |
hand sanitizer | 28 products |
shaving cream | 27 products |
styling mousse/foam | 26 products |
facial powder | 25 products |
lip gloss | 25 products |
mouthwash | 24 products |
body firming lotion | 22 products |
baby lotion | 22 products |
glitter | 21 products |
after sun product | 18 products |
after shave | 15 products |
baby toothpaste | 15 products |
lip balm | 15 products |
beard care | 15 products |
bath oil/salts/soak | 14 products |
facial cleansing wipes | 13 products |
baby bubble bath | 12 products |
skin fading/lightener | 11 products |
shaving cream (men's) | 11 products |
foot moisturizer | 9 products |
hair-loss treatment | 9 products |
bar soap | 9 products |
body cleansing wipes | 9 products |
body oil | 8 products |
other eye makeup | 8 products |
beard cleanser | 8 products |
nail treatment | 7 products |
tanning oil | 7 products |
nail polish | 6 products |
fragrance for women | 6 products |
CC cream | 6 products |
baby sunscreen | 6 products |
tooth whitening | 5 products |
oil controller | 5 products |
muscle/joint soreness | 4 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's) | 4 products |
eye makeup remover | 3 products |
fragrance for men | 3 products |
pore strips | 3 products |
eyelash glue | 3 products |
diaper cream | 2 products |
lip balm with SPF | 2 products |
makeup removing wipes | 2 products |
cuticle treatment | 1 products |
depilatory | 1 products |
hair relaxer | 1 products |
baby oil | 1 products |
damaged skin treatment | 1 products |
foot odor control | 1 products |
polish remover | 1 products |
exfoliant/scrub - large particle | 1 products |
Allergies/immunotoxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Human skin toxicant or allergen - strong evidence | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Limited evidence of sense organ toxicity | Scorecard.org Toxicity Information |
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
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 |
356 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
Ecotoxicology
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Not suspected to be persistent | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Multiple, additive exposure sources
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Everything Added to Food |
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Food Additive Status |
Informational
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - any | Cosmetic 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 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.