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QUATERNIUM-15 (FORMALDEHYDE RELEASER)
Score:
Data: Fair
- Other Concerns
- Functions
- About the Chemical
- Synonyms
-
Use restrictions (moderate), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (moderate), and Contamination concerns (high)
Cancer 
Cancer: Ingredients linked to cancer in government, industry or academic studies or assessments.
Developmental & Reproductive Toxicity
Developmental and reproductive toxicity: Ingredients linked to developmental and reproductive toxicity, a broad class of health effects that range from infertility and reproductive organ cancers to birth defects and developmental delays in children.
Allergies & Immunotoxicity
Allergies and immunotoxicity: Ingredients linked to harm to the immune system, a class of health problems that manifest as allergic reactions or an impaired capacity to fight disease and repair damaged tissue in the body.
Products with this Ingredient
| body wash/cleanser | 7 products |
| eye liner | 3 products |
| body firming lotion | 1 products |
| beach & sport sunscreen | 1 products |
| facial cleanser | 1 products |
| makeup remover | 1 products |
Contamination concerns
| Chemical |
|---|
| FORMALDEHYDE |
Allergies/immunotoxicity
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| A similar compound is a known human toxicant or allergen | AOEC (Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics) 2012. Asthmagen compilation - AEOC exposures codes. |
| Human skin toxicant or allergen - strong evidence | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
| Limited evidence of immune system toxicity or allergies | National Library of Medicine HazMap |
Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Substance has an irritant potential for skin and eye | Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) OPINION ON Quaternium-15 (cis-isomer), COLIPA n° P63 December 2011. |
Use restrictions
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| European SCCS: The continued use of quartenium-15 in cosmetic products may not be safe for the consumers. | Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) OPINION ON Quaternium-15 (cis-isomer), COLIPA n° P63 December 2011. |
| Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - Safe for use in cosmetics with some qualifications | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Classified as expected to be toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
| Classified as medium human health priority | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
| One or more animal studies show classified as toxic effects at moderate doses (low dose studies may be unavailable for this ingredient) | EPA Toxic Release Inventory PBTs |
Cancer
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Cancer - limited evidence | IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) 2008. Overall Evaluations of Carcinogenicity to Humans, as evaluated in IARC Monographs Volumes 1-99. |
Developmental/reproductive toxicity
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| A peer-reviewed publication reports quaternary ammonium compounds cause reproductive toxicity in animals. | Vanessa E Melin, Haritha Potineni, Patricia Hunt, Jodi Griswold, Bill Siems, Stephen R. Werre & Terry C. Hrubec. 2014. Exposure to common quaternary ammonium disinfectants decreases fertility in mice. Reproductive toxicology (Elmsford, N.Y.) 50, 163-70 |
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 |
| 94 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 |
Informational
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - Determined safe for use in cosmetics up to a specified concentration limit | JACT 5(3):61-101, 1986 (original report); IJT 29(Suppl 2):98-114, 2010; IJT 36(Suppl 2):14-58, 2017 |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Data Sources
- AOEC (Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics) 2012. Asthmagen compilation - AEOC exposures codes.
- CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC.
- NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2006. HazMap — Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents.
- Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) OPINION ON Quaternium-15 (cis-isomer), COLIPA n° P63 December 2011.
- EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
- EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 1999. Toxics Release Inventory Program. PBT Chemical Rule.
- IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) 2008. Overall Evaluations of Carcinogenicity to Humans, as evaluated in IARC Monographs Volumes 1-99.
- Vanessa E Melin, Haritha Potineni, Patricia Hunt, Jodi Griswold, Bill Siems, Stephen R. Werre & Terry C. Hrubec. 2014. Exposure to common quaternary ammonium disinfectants decreases fertility in mice. Reproductive toxicology (Elmsford, N.Y.) 50, 163-70
- NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
- JACT 5(3):61-101, 1986 (original report); IJT 29(Suppl 2):98-114, 2010; IJT 36(Suppl 2):14-58, 2017
- Products with the EWG VERIFIED mark have met the program’s impurity restrictions based on EWG review of company data.
ABOUT THE SKIN DEEP® RATINGS
EWG provides information on personal care product ingredients from the published scientific literature, to supplement incomplete data available from companies and the government. The ratings below indicate the relative level of concern posed by exposure to the ingredients in this product - not the product itself - compared to other product formulations. The ratings reflect potential health hazards but do not account for the level of exposure or individual susceptibility, factors which determine actual health risks, if any. Learn more | Legal Disclaimer
ABOUT EWG VERIFIED™
Beyond providing Skin Deep® as an educational tool for consumers, EWG offers its EWG VERIFIED™ mark as a quick and easily identifiable way of conveying personal care products that meet EWG's strict health criteria. Before a company can use EWG VERIFIED™ on such products, the company must show that it fully discloses the products' ingredients on their labels or packaging, they do not contain EWG ingredients of concern, and are made with good manufacturing practices, among other criteria. Note that EWG receives licensing fees from all EWG VERIFIED™ member companies that help to support the important work we do. Learn more | Legal Disclaimer
