Other Concerns
Use restrictions (low) and Contamination concerns (high)SYNONYMS
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.
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LOWCancer
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HIGHAllergies & Immunotoxicity
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LOWDevelopmental and Reproductive Toxicity
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LOWUse Restrictions
Ingredient concerns
- CONCERNS
- DATA SOURCES
Products with this Ingredient
hair styling aide | 8 products |
styling gel/lotion | 7 products |
shampoo | 6 products |
facial cleanser | 3 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 3 products |
conditioner | 3 products |
body wash/cleanser | 3 products |
hand cream | 3 products |
moisturizer | 3 products |
hair spray | 2 products |
body cleansing wipes | 1 products |
daily use with SPF | 1 products |
after shave | 1 products |
after sun product | 1 products |
cuticle treatment | 1 products |
Contamination concerns
Chemical |
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FORMALDEHYDE |
Allergies/immunotoxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Known human any toxicant or allergen | Open scientific literature |
Human any toxicant or allergen - strong evidence | Open scientific literature |
Human allergen toxicant or allergen - moderate evidence | Open scientific literature |
Cancer
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Cancer - limited evidence | 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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2 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM 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 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.