EWG Skin Deep® | What is SODIUM HYDROXYMETHYLGLYCINATE (FORMALDEHYDE RELEASER)

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

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)-, and SODIUM SALT N-(HYDROXYMETHYL)GLYCINE

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 Reingredientive Toxicity
LOW

Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

CONCERNS
DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

foundation	12 products
hair styling aide	11 products
styling gel/lotion	9 products
moisturizer	7 products
conditioner	5 products
shampoo	3 products
hair treatment/serum	3 products
facial cleanser	2 products
facial moisturizer/treatment	2 products
hair spray	1 products
bubble bath	1 products
body wash/cleanser	1 products
daily use with SPF	1 products
serums & essences	1 products
after shave	1 products
after sun product	1 products

Contamination concerns

Chemical
FORMALDEHYDE

Allergies/immunotoxicity

CONCERN	REFERENCE
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
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 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