EWG Skin Deep® | What is SILICA, AMORPHOUS

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Good

Silica, Amorphous

^†This ingredient’s score is higher if used in products that are inhalable (e.g., sprays, powders) because of respiratory concerns.

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

SEARCH PRODUCTS

FIND PRODUCTS WITH THIS INGREDIENT

Other Concerns

Persistence and bioaccumulation (high) and Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (low)

SYNONYMS

SILICON DIOXIDE, AMORPHOUS SILICA, AMORPHOUS SILICA GEL; AMORPHOUS SILICA GEL; DIATOMACEOUS EARTH, CALCINED; DIATOMACEOUS EARTH, CALCINED; SILICA; SILICON DIOXIDE; SILICON DIOXIDE; SILICON DIOXIDE (AMORPHOUS); SILICON OXIDE, AMORPHOUS SILICON OXIDE HYDRATE, FUMED SILICON DIOXIDE, ROSE ABSOLUTE, SILICA, SILICA, AMORPHOUS, SILICIC ANHYDRIDE, SILICON DIOXIDE, SILICON DIOXIDE, FUMED, SPHERON P-1000, and SPHERON PL-700

Silica is the most common constituent of sand. Fine silica, typically used in industrial applications and inhaled by workers, is associated with a wide range of disorders, particularly affecting the lungs and respiratory system. In cosmetics for skin use, regular sand presents little, if any risk to people. In contrast, for products that might be inhaled (such as a facial powder), silica particles are finely ground down and may be associated with respiratory toxicity.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

LOW

Cancer
LOW

Allergies & Immunotoxicity
LOW

Developmental and Reingredientive Toxicity
LOW

Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

CONCERNS
DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

foundation	1716 products
lipstick	1263 products
eye shadow	1048 products
concealer	676 products
bronzer/highlighter	506 products
lip gloss	448 products
nail polish	427 products
blush	416 products
daily use with SPF	312 products
brow liner	302 products
eye liner	282 products
recreational sunscreen	280 products
facial powder	216 products
lip liner	184 products
antiperspirant/deodorant	172 products
mascara	169 products
facial moisturizer/treatment	158 products
setting powder/spray	147 products
shampoo	134 products
makeup primer	128 products
exfoliant/scrub	120 products
lip balm	96 products
mask	92 products
BB cream	85 products
serums & essences	79 products
around-eye cream	60 products
lip plumper	57 products
	55 products
hair color and bleaching	54 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)	54 products
glitter	51 products
toothpaste	46 products
CC cream	40 products
facial cleanser	39 products
baby sunscreen	36 products
moisturizer	35 products
body oil	30 products
hair styling aide	25 products
conditioner	24 products
lip balm with SPF	24 products
hair treatment/serum	24 products
body powder	18 products
pore strips	18 products
bath oil/salts/soak	16 products
anti-aging	12 products
hair spray	11 products
bubble bath	11 products
hair-loss treatment	10 products
baby toothpaste	8 products
body wash/cleanser	8 products
liquid hand soap	8 products
toners/astringents	7 products
nail treatment	6 products
body firming lotion	6 products
makeup remover	6 products
hand cream	5 products
styling gel/lotion	5 products
skin fading/lightener	5 products
shaving cream	5 products
oil controller	4 products
sunless tanning	4 products
foot cleansing	4 products
tanning oil	4 products
foot odor control	4 products
body art	4 products
tooth whitening	3 products
depilatory	3 products
after sun product	3 products
other eye makeup	3 products
damaged skin treatment	3 products
shaving cream (men's)	2 products
cuticle treatment	2 products
after shave	2 products
hair removal waxes	2 products
polish remover	2 products
styling mousse/foam	2 products
beard care	2 products
nail glue	2 products
fragrance for men	1 products
diaper cream	1 products
hair relaxer	1 products
foot moisturizer	1 products
body spray	1 products
baby lotion	1 products
bar soap	1 products
beard oil	1 products
muscle/joint soreness	1 products

Persistence and bioaccumulation

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Persistent, bioaccumulative in wildlife and humans	National Library of Medicine HazMap
Persistent, bioaccumulative in wildlife	National Library of Medicine HazMap
Not suspected to be bioaccumulative	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Limited evidence of gastrointestinal or liver toxicity	Scorecard.org Toxicity Information
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List
Classified as a low human health priority	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
65522 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical	NLM PubMed

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

Cancer

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Limited or incomplete evidence of cancer according to safety/hazard data – government assessment cannot classify as human carcinogen due to data gaps	Int'l Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) - Carcinogens

Informational

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - any	Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Ecotoxicology

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxin	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List

NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2006. HazMap — Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents.
EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
ED (Environmental Defense). 2006. Scorecard _ The Pollution Information Site. http://www.scorecard.org.
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.
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.
IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer). 2008. Overall Evaluations of Carcinogenicity to Humans, as evaluated in IARC Monographs Volumes 1-99 (a total of 935 agents, mixtures and exposures).

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