Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.
EWG Home EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning EWG’s Food Scores Healthy Living App Open menu

EWG's Skin Deep®
Find products and ingredients Learn how Skin Deep® works Meet our experts Discover EWG VERIFIED™
GET UPDATES DONATE
Score legend
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.
  • Products with the EWG VERIFIED mark have met use restrictions and warnings based on EWG review of company data.

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

SEARCH PRODUCTS

Other Concerns

Use restrictions (low), Persistence and bioaccumulation (high), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (low), and Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (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
● SPHERON PL-700

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.

  • MODERATE
    Cancer
  • LOW
    Allergies & Immunotoxicity
  • LOW
    Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
  • LOW
    Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

Expand content Collapse content
foundation1834 products
lipstick1482 products
eye shadow1347 products
concealer791 products
bronzer/highlighter607 products
blush551 products
lip gloss550 products
nail polish429 products
eye liner401 products
brow liner336 products
daily use with SPF304 products
recreational sunscreen267 products
mascara215 products
lip liner208 products
facial powder201 products
facial moisturizer/treatment186 products
exfoliant/scrub165 products
setting powder/spray161 products
antiperspirant/deodorant146 products
makeup primer137 products
shampoo127 products
lip balm101 products
serums & essences95 products
mask94 products
around-eye cream87 products
lip plumper74 products
BB cream71 products
CC cream63 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)61 products
56 products
toothpaste50 products
facial cleanser42 products
hair color and bleaching42 products
glitter42 products
moisturizer41 products
hair styling aide38 products
conditioner34 products
body oil30 products
baby sunscreen29 products
hair treatment/serum28 products
pore strips23 products
body powder21 products
lip balm with SPF21 products
anti-aging20 products
bath oil/salts/soak18 products
body wash/cleanser11 products
bubble bath11 products
liquid hand soap11 products
depilatory10 products
baby toothpaste10 products
hair spray10 products
hair-loss treatment9 products
body firming lotion9 products
hand cream7 products
skin fading/lightener7 products
styling gel/lotion6 products
nail treatment6 products
toners/astringents6 products
hair removal waxes6 products
shaving cream6 products
other eye makeup6 products
sunless tanning5 products
makeup remover5 products
tooth whitening4 products
nail glue4 products
after shave3 products
after sun product3 products
baby lotion3 products
beard care3 products
shaving cream (men's)2 products
oil controller2 products
foot cleansing2 products
styling mousse/foam2 products
damaged skin treatment2 products
mouthwash2 products
bar soap2 products
cuticle treatment1 products
baby powder1 products
fragrance for women1 products
fragrance for men1 products
diaper cream1 products
polish remover1 products
body spray1 products
tanning oil1 products
foot odor control1 products
eyelash glue1 products
muscle/joint soreness1 products

Persistence and bioaccumulation

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Persistent, bioaccumulative in wildlife and humansNational Library of Medicine HazMap
Persistent, bioaccumulative in wildlifeNational Library of Medicine HazMap
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Cancer

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Limited evidence of carcinogenicityOpen scientific literature
Limited or incomplete evidence of cancer according to safety/hazard data – government assessment cannot classify as human carcinogen due to data gapsInt'l Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) - Carcinogens
Not likely to be carcinogenic in humansOpen scientific literature

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Limited evidence of gastrointestinal or liver toxicityScorecard.org Toxicity Information
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Classified as a low human health priorityEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Use restrictions

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - anyOpen scientific literature

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
any irritation - weight of evidence unknown/unassessedOpen scientific literature

Data gaps

Expand content Collapse content
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 productCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
65522 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

Informational

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - anyCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Multiple, additive exposure sources

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodFDA Everything Added to Food
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodFDA Food Additive Status

Ecotoxicology

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment 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.
  • 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 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.

Score legend
WEIGHT-OF-EVIDENCE APPROACH

A product’s hazard score is not an average of the ingredients’ hazard scores. It is calculated using a weight-of-evidence approach that factors in all of the hazards or health impacts associated with the ingredients.

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
NONE

Ingredients have not been assessed.

LIMITED-FAIR

There is only a modest volume of research.

GOOD-ROBUST

Ingredients have been studied extensively.

Can’t find your product?

Enter the ingredients in EWG’s Build Your Own Report tool to get an approximate score for that product.

BUILD YOUR OWN REPORT

News & updates

Big Market for Black Cosmetics, but Less-Hazardous Choices Limited
RESEARCH
Big Market for Black Cosmetics, but Less-Hazardous Choices Limited
K-Beauty Trends: Serums, Essences and EWG’s Best Bets
RESEARCH
K-Beauty Trends: Serums, Essences and EWG’s Best Bets
FDA Asks Women To Protect Themselves From Products The Agency Refused To Ban
NEWS RELEASE
FDA Asks Women To Protect Themselves From Products The Agency Refused To Ban
Study Highlights Importance of Cosmetics Ingredient Safety Tests
NEWS RELEASE
Study Highlights Importance of Cosmetics Ingredient Safety Tests
READ ALL ARTICLES
Skindeep Healthy Living App

EWG research
on the go

Find personal care, cleaning, and food products on the EWG Healthy Living app.

DOWNLOAD THE APP