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.
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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 | 682 products |
shampoo | 591 products |
conditioner | 509 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 438 products |
moisturizer | 381 products |
body wash/cleanser | 349 products |
serums & essences | 326 products |
hair treatment/serum | 270 products |
facial cleanser | 266 products |
concealer | 265 products |
mask | 244 products |
eye shadow | 222 products |
liquid hand soap | 220 products |
hair styling aide | 191 products |
around-eye cream | 177 products |
mascara | 165 products |
daily use with SPF | 158 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 126 products |
brow liner | 120 products |
toners/astringents | 115 products |
hand cream | 91 products |
eye liner | 85 products |
styling gel/lotion | 80 products |
makeup primer | 80 products |
hair color and bleaching | 72 products |
bronzer/highlighter | 71 products |
lipstick | 68 products |
setting powder/spray | 67 products |
sunless tanning | 63 products |
BB cream | 62 products |
blush | 61 products |
makeup remover | 56 products |
toothpaste | 55 products |
hair spray | 42 products |
recreational sunscreen | 42 products |
baby wipes | 41 products |
baby shampoo | 39 products |
anti-aging | 36 products |
bubble bath | 35 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant | 35 products |
baby soap | 33 products |
hand sanitizer | 32 products |
styling mousse/foam | 31 products |
body firming lotion | 30 products |
detangler | 29 products |
shaving cream | 29 products |
facial powder | 26 products |
body spray | 26 products |
mouthwash | 23 products |
baby lotion | 22 products |
after sun product | 19 products |
body cleansing wipes | 19 products |
nail polish | 16 products |
lip balm | 16 products |
facial cleansing wipes | 16 products |
glitter | 16 products |
bath oil/salts/soak | 13 products |
after shave | 13 products |
12 products | |
skin fading/lightener | 11 products |
shaving cream (men's) | 11 products |
baby bubble bath | 10 products |
baby toothpaste | 10 products |
lip gloss | 10 products |
hair-loss treatment | 9 products |
bar soap | 9 products |
other eye makeup | 9 products |
beard care | 9 products |
fragrance for women | 8 products |
body oil | 8 products |
beard cleanser | 8 products |
foot moisturizer | 7 products |
tanning oil | 7 products |
CC cream | 6 products |
baby sunscreen | 6 products |
nail treatment | 5 products |
lip plumper | 5 products |
muscle/joint soreness | 4 products |
tooth whitening | 4 products |
depilatory | 4 products |
eye makeup remover | 4 products |
pore strips | 4 products |
eyelash glue | 4 products |
fragrance for men | 3 products |
polish remover | 3 products |
lip balm with SPF | 3 products |
makeup removing wipes | 3 products |
diaper cream | 2 products |
oil controller | 2 products |
cuticle treatment | 1 products |
hair relaxer | 1 products |
baby oil | 1 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's) | 1 products |
body art | 1 products |
exfoliant/scrub - large particle | 1 products |
Allergies/immunotoxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Human skin toxicant or allergen - strong evidence | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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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 |
Multiple, additive exposure sources
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Food Additive Status |
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Everything Added to Food |
Informational
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - any | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
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 |
- 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) 2006. Food Additive Status List. Downloaded from http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/%7Edms/opa-appa.html, Oct 16, 2006.
- 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.
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.