EWG Skin Deep® | What is RETINYL PROPIONATE

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Limited

Retinyl Propionate

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Use restrictions (high), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (low), and Biochemical or cellular level changes (high)

SYNONYMS

PROPANOATE RETINOL, PROPIONIC ACID, RETINOL ESTER, RETINOL ESTER PROPIONIC ACID, RETINOL, PROPANOATE, RETINYL PROPIONATE, and VITAMIN A PROPIONATE

Unacceptable

Unacceptable: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient

Retinol is a synthetic vitamin A ingredient. Cosmetics with synthetic retinoids can contribute to overdoses of this potent vitamin. Furthermore when exposed to UV light, retinol compounds break down and produce toxic free radicals. Two vitamin A ingredients (retinoic acid and retinyl palmitate) have been shown to speed the development of skin tumors and lesions on sun-exposed skin.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

MODERATE

Cancer
LOW

Allergies & Immunotoxicity
HIGH

Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
HIGH

Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

CONCERNS
DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

facial moisturizer/treatment	11 products
serums & essences	5 products
around-eye cream	3 products
body wash/cleanser	3 products
anti-aging	2 products
mask	1 products
conditioner	1 products
	1 products
facial cleanser	1 products
toners/astringents	1 products

Biochemical or cellular level changes

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Produces excess reactive oxygen species that can interfere with cellular signaling, cause mutations, lead to cell death and may be implicated in cardiovascular disease.	Open scientific literature

Developmental/reproductive toxicity

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Known human reproductive toxicant	Open scientific literature
Limited evidence of reproductive toxicity	Open scientific literature
One or more animal studies show reproductive effects at low doses	Open scientific literature

Enhanced skin absorption

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Absorbs into the skin	Open scientific literature

Use restrictions

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Violation of government restrictions - Banned or found unsafe for use in cosmetics	Open scientific literature
Restricted in cosmetics (recommendations or requirements) - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Use is restricted in Canadian cosmetics	Canada - Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetics Ingredients

Cancer

CONCERN	REFERENCE
One or more animal studies show tumor formation at very low doses	Open scientific literature
Cancer - limited evidence	Open scientific literature
One or more in vitro tests on mammalian cells show positive mutation results	Open scientific literature
One or more in vitro tests non-mammalian cells show positive mutation results	Open scientific literature

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Limited evidence of skin toxicity	Open scientific literature
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List

Ecotoxicology

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Uncertain environmental toxin and uncertain persistent or bioaccumulative	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
10 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical	NLM PubMed

Informational

CONCERN	REFERENCE
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

Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
Health Canada. 2007. List of Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetic Ingredients. Canada's Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist. March 2007.
EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
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). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.

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.

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