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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED®

Data: Fair

Propylparaben

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

SEARCH PRODUCTS

Other Concerns

Use restrictions (moderate), Endocrine disruption (high), and Ecotoxicology (low)

SYNONYMS

● 4-HYDROXY- PROPYL ESTER BENZOIC ACID
● 4-HYDROXYBENZOIC ACID, PROPYL ESTER
● 4-HYDROXYBENZOIC ACID, PROPYL ESTER, SODIUM SALT
● BENZOIC ACID, 4-HYDROXY-, PROPYL ESTER
● BENZOIC ACID, 4-HYDROXY-, PROPYL ESTER, SODIUM SALT
● BENZOIC ACID, 4HYDROXY, PROPYL ESTER
● BENZOIC ACID, 4HYDROXY, PROPYL ESTER, SODIUM SALT
● POLYPARABEN
● POTASSIUM PROPYLPARABEN
● POTASSIUM SALT PROPYLPARABEN
● PROPYL 4-HYDROXYBENZOATE
● PROPYL ESTER 4-HYDROXYBENZOIC ACID
● PROPYL ESTER BENZOIC ACID, 4-HYDROXY-
● PROPYL ESTER SODIUM SALT 4-HYDROXYBENZOIC ACID
● PROPYL ESTER SODIUM SALT BENZOIC ACID, 4-HYDROXY-
● PROPYL P-HYDROXYBENZOATE
● PROPYL P-HYDROXYBENZOATE SODIUM SALT
● PROPYL PARABEN
● PROPYL PARAHYDROXYBENZOATE
● PROPYLPARABEN
● PROPYLPARABEN, POTASSIUM SALT
● PROPYLPARABEN, SODIUM SALT
● SODIUM 4-PROPOXYCARBONYLPHENOXIDE
● SODIUM PROPYLPARABEN
● SODIUM SALT 4-HYDROXYBENZOIC ACID, PROPYL ESTER
● SODIUM SALT BENZOIC ACID, 4-HYDROXY-, PROPYL ESTER
● SODIUM SALT PROPYLPARABEN

Unacceptable

Unacceptable: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient

Propylparaben is in the paraben family of preservatives used by the food, pharmaceutical, and personal care product industries. Parabens mimic estrogen and can act as potential hormone (endocrine) system disruptors.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

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

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

Expand content Collapse content
moisturizer141 products
foundation137 products
eye liner125 products
eye shadow104 products
mascara93 products
concealer80 products
brow liner78 products
lipstick70 products
lip gloss59 products
facial moisturizer/treatment52 products
facial powder52 products
lip liner51 products
bronzer/highlighter41 products
hair styling aide37 products
conditioner35 products
hand cream35 products
facial cleanser32 products
blush32 products
hair treatment/serum30 products
setting powder/spray20 products
styling gel/lotion19 products
anti-aging18 products
makeup primer18 products
shampoo15 products
recreational sunscreen15 products
mouthwash15 products
around-eye cream13 products
lip balm11 products
daily use with SPF11 products
mask10 products
hair color and bleaching8 products
toners/astringents8 products
after shave7 products
sunless tanning6 products
foot moisturizer6 products
shaving cream6 products
nail treatment6 products
hair-loss treatment5 products
hand sanitizer5 products
body wash/cleanser4 products
makeup remover4 products
serums & essences4 products
baby sunscreen4 products
facial cleansing wipes4 products
body cleansing wipes4 products
damaged skin treatment4 products
skin fading/lightener3 products
toothpaste3 products
diaper cream3 products
liquid hand soap3 products
other eye makeup3 products
BB cream3 products
beard care3 products
exfoliant/scrub2 products
eye makeup remover2 products
hair spray2 products
hair removal waxes2 products
body firming lotion2 products
nail polish2 products
styling mousse/foam2 products
cuticle treatment2 products
depilatory2 products
2 products
tooth whitening1 products
baby lotion1 products
after sun product1 products
oil controller1 products
muscle/joint soreness1 products
lip plumper1 products
foot odor control1 products
nail glue1 products
lip balm with SPF1 products
shaving cream (men's)1 products
tanning oil1 products
bar soap1 products
body powder1 products
polish remover1 products

Endocrine disruption

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Known human any disruptorOpen scientific literature
Human endocrine disruptor - strong evidenceEuropean Commission on Endocrine Disruption
One or more studies show significant wildlife and the environment disruptionEuropean Commission on Endocrine Disruption
Limited evidence of endocrine disruptionOpen scientific literature
Limited evidence of any disruptionOpen scientific literature
One or more studies show weak endocrine disruptionEWG Assessment of Open Scientific Literature
One or more studies show weak endocrine disruptionOpen scientific literature

Allergies/immunotoxicity

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Human immune toxicant or allergen - strong evidenceOpen scientific literature
Human immune toxicant or allergen - moderate evidenceOpen scientific literature
One or more human case studies show possible immune or allergenic effectsOpen scientific literature

Developmental/reproductive toxicity

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Possible human reproductive or developmental toxinOpen scientific literature
One or more animal studies show any effects at low dosesOpen scientific literature

Use restrictions

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Restricted in cosmetics (recommendations or requirements) - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - anyOpen scientific literature
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - anyOpen scientific literature
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - anyCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Ecotoxicology

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Wildlife and environmental toxicityOpen scientific literature
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment 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
903 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

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

Persistence and bioaccumulation

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

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
  • Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
  • EU (European Union)- Strategy for Endocrine Disrupters 2007. Commision on endocrin disruption requested by the European Parliament in 1998.
  • EWG Assessment of Open Scientific Literature
  • CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC.
  • 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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