Silica, Amorphous
- This ingredient’s score is higher if used in products that are inhalable (e.g., sprays, powders) because of respiratory concerns.
- Products with the EWG VERIFIED mark have met use restrictions and warnings based on EWG review of company data.
Other Concerns
Use restrictions (low), Persistence and bioaccumulation (high), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (low), and Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (low)SYNONYMS
Restricted
Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation
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.
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MODERATECancer
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LOWAllergies & Immunotoxicity
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LOWDevelopmental and Reproductive Toxicity
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LOWUse Restrictions
Ingredient concerns
- CONCERNS
- DATA SOURCES
Products with this Ingredient
foundation | 1646 products |
lipstick | 1279 products |
eye shadow | 1184 products |
nail polish | 854 products |
concealer | 850 products |
bronzer/highlighter | 677 products |
blush | 601 products |
lip gloss | 491 products |
eye liner | 479 products |
brow liner | 345 products |
daily use with SPF | 299 products |
recreational sunscreen | 260 products |
lip liner | 221 products |
mascara | 184 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 177 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 170 products |
setting powder/spray | 163 products |
facial powder | 153 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant | 148 products |
shampoo | 127 products |
makeup primer | 116 products |
lip balm | 97 products |
serums & essences | 95 products |
around-eye cream | 93 products |
mask | 69 products |
CC cream | 67 products |
BB cream | 66 products |
toothpaste | 58 products |
lip plumper | 57 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's) | 54 products |
facial cleanser | 45 products |
moisturizer | 44 products |
hair styling aide | 44 products |
conditioner | 39 products |
hair color and bleaching | 38 products |
hair treatment/serum | 32 products |
32 products | |
body oil | 30 products |
glitter | 28 products |
baby sunscreen | 28 products |
lip balm with SPF | 24 products |
anti-aging | 21 products |
body powder | 20 products |
pore strips | 19 products |
bath oil/salts/soak | 15 products |
body wash/cleanser | 15 products |
nail treatment | 14 products |
liquid hand soap | 14 products |
bubble bath | 12 products |
depilatory | 10 products |
hair spray | 9 products |
tooth whitening | 8 products |
skin fading/lightener | 7 products |
toners/astringents | 7 products |
hair-loss treatment | 7 products |
hair removal waxes | 7 products |
nail glue | 7 products |
hand cream | 6 products |
other eye makeup | 6 products |
styling gel/lotion | 5 products |
baby toothpaste | 5 products |
fragrance for women | 5 products |
sunless tanning | 5 products |
shaving cream | 5 products |
makeup remover | 5 products |
body art | 5 products |
body firming lotion | 4 products |
baby lotion | 4 products |
damaged skin treatment | 3 products |
mouthwash | 3 products |
foot odor control | 3 products |
bar soap | 3 products |
beard care | 3 products |
shaving cream (men's) | 2 products |
after sun product | 2 products |
foot cleansing | 2 products |
fragrance for men | 2 products |
body spray | 2 products |
cuticle treatment | 1 products |
baby powder | 1 products |
after shave | 1 products |
diaper cream | 1 products |
polish remover | 1 products |
tanning oil | 1 products |
eyelash glue | 1 products |
depilatory (men's) | 1 products |
muscle/joint soreness | 1 products |
facial cleansing wipes | 1 products |
body cleansing wipes | 1 products |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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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 |
Cancer
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Limited evidence of carcinogenicity | Open scientific literature |
Not likely to be carcinogenic in humans | Open scientific literature |
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 |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Limited evidence of gastrointestinal or liver toxicity | Scorecard.org Toxicity Information |
Classified as a low human health priority | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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any irritation - weight of evidence unknown/unassessed | Open scientific literature |
Use restrictions
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - any | Open scientific literature |
Data gaps
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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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 |
Ecotoxicology
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
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 |
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 |
- 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.
- Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
- 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).
- 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). 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.