Other Concerns
Use restrictions (moderate), Endocrine disruption (high), and Ecotoxicology (low)SYNONYMS
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.
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LOWCancer
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MODERATEAllergies & Immunotoxicity
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MODERATEDevelopmental and Reproductive Toxicity
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MODERATEUse Restrictions
Ingredient concerns
- CONCERNS
- DATA SOURCES
Products with this Ingredient
moisturizer | 141 products |
foundation | 137 products |
eye liner | 125 products |
eye shadow | 104 products |
mascara | 93 products |
concealer | 80 products |
brow liner | 78 products |
lipstick | 70 products |
lip gloss | 59 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 52 products |
facial powder | 52 products |
lip liner | 51 products |
bronzer/highlighter | 41 products |
hair styling aide | 37 products |
conditioner | 35 products |
hand cream | 35 products |
facial cleanser | 32 products |
blush | 32 products |
hair treatment/serum | 30 products |
setting powder/spray | 20 products |
styling gel/lotion | 19 products |
anti-aging | 18 products |
makeup primer | 18 products |
shampoo | 15 products |
recreational sunscreen | 15 products |
mouthwash | 15 products |
around-eye cream | 13 products |
lip balm | 11 products |
daily use with SPF | 11 products |
mask | 10 products |
hair color and bleaching | 8 products |
toners/astringents | 8 products |
after shave | 7 products |
sunless tanning | 6 products |
foot moisturizer | 6 products |
shaving cream | 6 products |
nail treatment | 6 products |
hair-loss treatment | 5 products |
hand sanitizer | 5 products |
body wash/cleanser | 4 products |
makeup remover | 4 products |
serums & essences | 4 products |
baby sunscreen | 4 products |
facial cleansing wipes | 4 products |
body cleansing wipes | 4 products |
damaged skin treatment | 4 products |
skin fading/lightener | 3 products |
toothpaste | 3 products |
diaper cream | 3 products |
liquid hand soap | 3 products |
other eye makeup | 3 products |
BB cream | 3 products |
beard care | 3 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 2 products |
eye makeup remover | 2 products |
hair spray | 2 products |
hair removal waxes | 2 products |
body firming lotion | 2 products |
nail polish | 2 products |
styling mousse/foam | 2 products |
cuticle treatment | 2 products |
depilatory | 2 products |
2 products | |
tooth whitening | 1 products |
baby lotion | 1 products |
after sun product | 1 products |
oil controller | 1 products |
muscle/joint soreness | 1 products |
lip plumper | 1 products |
foot odor control | 1 products |
nail glue | 1 products |
lip balm with SPF | 1 products |
shaving cream (men's) | 1 products |
tanning oil | 1 products |
bar soap | 1 products |
body powder | 1 products |
polish remover | 1 products |
Endocrine disruption
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Known human any disruptor | Open scientific literature |
Human endocrine disruptor - strong evidence | European Commission on Endocrine Disruption |
One or more studies show significant wildlife and the environment disruption | European Commission on Endocrine Disruption |
Limited evidence of endocrine disruption | Open scientific literature |
Limited evidence of any disruption | Open scientific literature |
One or more studies show weak endocrine disruption | EWG Assessment of Open Scientific Literature |
One or more studies show weak endocrine disruption | Open scientific literature |
Allergies/immunotoxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Human immune toxicant or allergen - strong evidence | Open scientific literature |
Human immune toxicant or allergen - moderate evidence | Open scientific literature |
One or more human case studies show possible immune or allergenic effects | Open scientific literature |
Developmental/reproductive toxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Possible human reproductive or developmental toxin | Open scientific literature |
One or more animal studies show any effects at low doses | Open scientific literature |
Use restrictions
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Restricted in cosmetics (recommendations or requirements) - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - any | Open scientific literature |
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - any | Open scientific literature |
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - any | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Ecotoxicology
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Wildlife and environmental toxicity | Open scientific literature |
Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | 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 |
903 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
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 bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Not suspected to be persistent | 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 |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful | Environment 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 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.