Other Concerns
Enhanced skin absorption, Persistence and bioaccumulation (high), and Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (low)SYNONYMS
Restricted
Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation
Iron oxides are inorganic chemicals used as colorants.
Common concerns
See how this product scores for common concerns.
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LOWCancer
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LOWAllergies & Immunotoxicity
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LOWDevelopmental and Reproductive Toxicity
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LOWUse Restrictions
Ingredient concerns
- CONCERNS
- DATA SOURCES
Products with this Ingredient
foundation | 7579 products |
lipstick | 6708 products |
eye shadow | 4251 products |
concealer | 3953 products |
lip gloss | 2603 products |
eye liner | 2342 products |
brow liner | 2326 products |
blush | 2256 products |
bronzer/highlighter | 2085 products |
lip liner | 1129 products |
mascara | 1039 products |
lip balm | 831 products |
nail polish | 771 products |
daily use with SPF | 705 products |
facial powder | 698 products |
setting powder/spray | 462 products |
CC cream | 385 products |
makeup primer | 332 products |
BB cream | 308 products |
mask | 204 products |
bar soap | 201 products |
193 products | |
hair color and bleaching | 181 products |
lip plumper | 174 products |
around-eye cream | 172 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 153 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 142 products |
recreational sunscreen | 120 products |
lip balm with SPF | 110 products |
shampoo | 94 products |
bath oil/salts/soak | 85 products |
serums & essences | 82 products |
body oil | 72 products |
moisturizer | 66 products |
glitter | 66 products |
body wash/cleanser | 54 products |
facial cleanser | 49 products |
hair styling aide | 30 products |
anti-aging | 26 products |
conditioner | 21 products |
sunless tanning | 20 products |
other eye makeup | 20 products |
eyelash glue | 18 products |
body powder | 16 products |
hair treatment/serum | 10 products |
nail treatment | 8 products |
skin fading/lightener | 8 products |
nail glue | 7 products |
pore strips | 7 products |
styling gel/lotion | 6 products |
depilatory | 6 products |
hair spray | 6 products |
toners/astringents | 6 products |
body art | 6 products |
oil controller | 4 products |
liquid hand soap | 4 products |
shaving cream | 4 products |
makeup remover | 4 products |
body spray | 4 products |
shaving cream (men's) | 4 products |
hair removal waxes | 4 products |
toothpaste | 3 products |
muscle/joint soreness | 3 products |
beard cleanser | 3 products |
body firming lotion | 2 products |
styling mousse/foam | 2 products |
hand sanitizer | 2 products |
fragrance for women | 2 products |
bubble bath | 2 products |
beard care | 2 products |
hand cream | 1 products |
foot cleansing | 1 products |
fragrance for men | 1 products |
tanning oil | 1 products |
baby sunscreen | 1 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant | 1 products |
Enhanced skin absorption
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Nano-scale ingredients with potential to absorb into the skin | Open scientific literature |
Suspected nano-scale ingredients with potential to absorb into the skin | Nanomaterial Database |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Persistent, bioaccumulative in wildlife and humans | National Library of Medicine HazMap |
Persistent, bioaccumulative in wildlife | National Library of Medicine HazMap |
Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Limited evidence of respiratory toxicity | Scorecard.org Toxicity Information |
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Classified as a low human health priority | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Ecotoxicology
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Multiple, additive exposure sources
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Everything Added to Food |
Data gaps
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
9326 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
Informational
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - Color Additives - Exempt from Batch Certification by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration | CTFA International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook |
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - Color additive approved by FDA for use in cosmetics | FDA Color Additive Status |
Cancer
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Limited or incomplete evidence of cancer according to safety/hazard data – government assessment cannot classify as human carcinogen due to data gaps | Int'l Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) - Carcinogens |
- Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
- NanoWerk. 2007. Nanomaterial Database. Available online: http://www.nanowerk.com/phpscripts/n_dbsearch.php
- 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.
- ED (Environmental Defense). 2006. Scorecard _ The Pollution Information Site. http://www.scorecard.org.
- 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.
- NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
- CTFA (Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association). 2006. International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook, 11th Edition. Color Additive Information. Washington, DC.
- FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) 2006. Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Color Additive Status List. September 2006.
- 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).
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.