EWG Skin Deep® | What is T-BUTYL ALCOHOL

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Fair

T Butyl Alcohol

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Persistence and bioaccumulation (moderate), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (high), and Occupational hazards (high)

SYNONYMS

● 1,1-DIMETHYLETHANOL

● 2-METHYL- 2-PROPANOL

● 2-METHYL-2-PROPANOL

● 2-METHYLPROPAN-2-OL

● 2-PROPANOL, 2-METHYL-

● 2PROPANOL, 2METHYL

● T-BUTYL ALCOHOL

● TERT-BUTANOL

● TERT-BUTYL ALCOHOL

● TRIMETHYL CARBINOL

● TRIMETHYLMETHANOL

Unacceptable

Unacceptable: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient

t-Butyl Alcohol is an aliphatic alcohol.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

MODERATE

Cancer
LOW

Allergies & Immunotoxicity
LOW

Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
LOW

Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

CONCERNS
DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

facial moisturizer/treatment	25 products
serums & essences	21 products
daily use with SPF	20 products
eye shadow	16 products
fragrance for women	11 products
around-eye cream	11 products
hand sanitizer	10 products
moisturizer	9 products
makeup primer	7 products
facial cleanser	6 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)	6 products
mask	6 products
tooth whitening	5 products
antiperspirant/deodorant	5 products
fragrance for men	5 products
hair styling aide	4 products
shampoo	4 products
concealer	3 products
pore strips	3 products
recreational sunscreen	3 products
exfoliant/scrub	2 products
setting powder/spray	2 products
hair-loss treatment	2 products
anti-aging	2 products
foundation	2 products
mascara	1 products
styling gel/lotion	1 products
lip balm	1 products
hair treatment/serum	1 products
beard care	1 products

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Classified as lung irritant	CPS&Q - Classification & Labelling

Occupational hazards

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Allowed workplace exposures restricted to low doses	Open scientific literature

Persistence and bioaccumulation

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Persistent or bioaccumulative and moderate to high toxicity concern in humans	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List
Not suspected to be bioaccumulative	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Classified as medium human health priority	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List
One or more animal studies show classified as toxic effects at moderate doses (low dose studies may be unavailable for this ingredient)	EPA Toxic Release Inventory PBTs
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List

Cancer

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Limited evidence of carcinogenicity	Open scientific literature

Ecotoxicology

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Wildlife and environmental toxicity	Open scientific literature
Not suspected to be an environmental toxin	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List

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
1461 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical	NLM PubMed

Miscellaneous

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Occupational hazards related to handling	CPS&Q - Classification & Labelling

Neurotoxicity

CONCERN	REFERENCE
nervous system - weight of evidence unknown/unassessed/unreview: published lit review or major tox study	National Library of Medicine HazMap

Informational

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - any	Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

CPS&Q (Consumer Products Safety & Quality) formely known as ECB (European Chemicals Bureau). 2008. Classification and Labelling: Chemicals: Annex VI of Directive 67/548/EEC through the 31st ATP.
Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 1999. Toxics Release Inventory Program. PBT Chemical Rule.
CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC.
NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2006. HazMap — Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents.

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