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Data: Limited

Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate (Formaldehyde Releaser)

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Use restrictions (low) and Contamination concerns (high)

SYNONYMS

● GLYCINE, N-(HYDROXYMETHYL)-, MONOSODIUM SALT
● GLYCINE, N-(HYDROXYMETHYL)-, SODIUM SALT
● GLYCINE, N-(HYDROXYMETHYL)-. MONOSODIUM SALT
● HYDROXYMETHYLAMINOACETIC ACID, SODIUM SALT
● N-(HYDROXYMETHYL)- SODIUM SALT GLYCINE
● N-(HYDROXYMETHYL)-. MONOSODIUM SALT GLYCINE
● N-(HYDROXYMETHYL)GLYCINE, SODIUM SALT
● SODIUM HYDROXYMETHYLGLYCINATE
● SODIUM HYDROXYMETHYLGLYCINATE (FORMALDEHYDE RELEASER)
● SODIUM HYDROXYMETHYLGLYCINATE SODIUM HYDROXYMETHYLGLYCINATE
● SODIUM N-(HYDROXYMETHYL)GLYCINATE
● SODIUM SALT GLYCINE, N-(HYDROXYMETHYL)-
● SODIUM SALT N-(HYDROXYMETHYL)GLYCINE

Unacceptable

Unacceptable: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient


Sodium hydroxymethylglycinate is an antimicrobial preservative that works by forming formaldehyde in cosmetic products. People exposed to such formaldehyde-releasing ingredients may develop a formaldehyde allergy or an allergy to the ingredient itself. In the U.S. approximately 20% of cosmetics and personal care products contain a formaldehyde-releaser and the frequency of contact allergy to these ingredients is much higher among Americans compared to studies in Europe.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

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

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

Expand content Collapse content
hair styling aide9 products
styling gel/lotion7 products
shampoo6 products
facial moisturizer/treatment3 products
body wash/cleanser3 products
conditioner3 products
hand cream3 products
facial cleanser3 products
moisturizer3 products
daily use with SPF1 products
after shave1 products
after sun product1 products
baby wipes1 products
hair spray1 products
cuticle treatment1 products
body cleansing wipes1 products

Contamination concerns

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Chemical
FORMALDEHYDE

Allergies/immunotoxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Known human any toxicant or allergenOpen scientific literature
Human any toxicant or allergen - strong evidenceOpen scientific literature
Human allergen toxicant or allergen - moderate evidenceOpen scientific literature

Cancer

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Cancer - limited evidenceOpen scientific literature

Use restrictions

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

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
2 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed
  • Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
  • 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.

Score legend

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

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