Other Concerns
Enhanced skin absorption, Endocrine disruption (low), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (low), and Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (moderate)SYNONYMS
1-PHENOL-4-SULFONIC ACID, 2-BENZOYL-5-METHOXY-, 1-PHENOL-4-SULFONIC ACID, 2-BENZOYL-5-METHOXY- (6CI), 2-BENZOYL-5-METHOXY- 1-PHENOL-4-SULFONIC ACID, 2-HYDROXY-4-METHOXYBENZOPHENONE- 5-SULFONIC ACID, 2-HYDROXY-4-METHOXYBENZOPHENONE-5-SULFONIC ACID, 5-BENZOYL-4-HYDROXY-2-METHOXY- BENZENESULFONIC ACID, 5-BENZOYL-4-HYDROXY-2-METHOXYBENESULFONIC ACID, 5-BENZOYL-4-HYDROXY-2-METHOXYBENZENE SULFONIC ACID, 5-BENZOYL-4-HYDROXY-2-METHOXYBENZENESULFONIC ACID, 5-BENZOYL-4-HYDROXY-2-METHOXYBENZOLSULFONSAEURE, B4, BENZENESULFONIC ACID, 5-BENZOYL-4-HYDROXY-2-METHOXY-, BENZENESULFONIC ACID, 5BENZOYL4HYDROXY2METHOXY, BENZOPHENONE 4, BENZOPHENONE-4, BRN 2889165, EINECS 223-772-2, MS 40, NSC 60548, NSC 60584, SEESORB 101S, SPECTRA-SORB UV 284, SULISOBENZONA, SULISOBENZONE, SULISOBENZONE (BENZOPHENONE-4), SULISOBENZONUM, SUNGARD, SYNTASE 230, UVAL, UVINUC MS 40, UVINUL, UVINUL MS 40, and UVINUL MS-40 SUBSTANZUnacceptable
Unacceptable: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient
Sulisobenzone (benzophenone-4) is a sunscreen ingredient; can cause skin and eye irritation. Does not penetrate the skin to a large degree, but enhances the ability of other chemicals to penetrate.
Common concerns
See how this product scores for common concerns.
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LOWCancer
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MODERATEAllergies & Immunotoxicity
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LOWDevelopmental and Reproductive Toxicity
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LOWUse Restrictions
Ingredient concerns
- CONCERNS
- DATA SOURCES
Products with this Ingredient
liquid hand soap | 97 products |
shampoo | 70 products |
body wash/cleanser | 43 products |
hair styling aide | 34 products |
conditioner | 29 products |
moisturizer | 28 products |
hand sanitizer | 22 products |
styling gel/lotion | 17 products |
facial cleanser | 16 products |
hair treatment/serum | 16 products |
styling mousse/foam | 14 products |
after sun product | 13 products |
mask | 13 products |
hair spray | 13 products |
bubble bath | 12 products |
bath oil/salts/soak | 12 products |
toners/astringents | 7 products |
hand cream | 7 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 5 products |
after shave | 5 products |
makeup primer | 4 products |
hair color and bleaching | 4 products |
makeup remover | 3 products |
hair-loss treatment | 3 products |
serums & essences | 3 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 3 products |
body firming lotion | 2 products |
baby soap | 1 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's) | 1 products |
fragrance for women | 1 products |
damaged skin treatment | 1 products |
nail treatment | 1 products |
sunless tanning | 1 products |
around-eye cream | 1 products |
bar soap | 1 products |
baby shampoo | 1 products |
shaving cream (men's) | 1 products |
setting powder/spray | 1 products |
polish remover | 1 products |
Enhanced skin absorption
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Penetration enhancer | Open scientific literature |
Absorbs into the skin | Open scientific literature |
Allergies/immunotoxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Human skin toxicant or allergen - strong evidence | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Human skin toxicant or allergen - strong evidence | EWG Assessment of Open Scientific Literature |
One or more human case studies show possible photoallergic or allergenic effects | Open scientific literature |
One or more human case studies show equivocal photoallergic or allergenic effects | Open scientific literature |
Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Human any irritant - strong evidence | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Not likely to be a skin irritant in humans | Open scientific literature |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
One or more animal studies show sense effects at moderate doses (low dose studies may be unavailable for this ingredient) | Open scientific literature |
One or more animal studies show broad systemic effects at high doses (low dose studies may be unavailable for this ingredient) | Open scientific literature |
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Endocrine disruption
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Associated with endocrine disruption | Open scientific literature |
Data gaps
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 product | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
13180 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Not suspected to be persistent | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Cancer
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Not likely to be mutagenic in humans | Open scientific literature |
Ecotoxicology
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Informational
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - any | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
- Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
- CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC.
- EWG Assessment of Open Scientific Literature
- EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
- 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.