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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Fair

Tartaric Acid

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

SYNONYMS

● (R*,R*)-(+-)-2,3-DIHYDROXYBUTANEDIOIC ACID
● 2,3-DIHYDROXY- BUTANEDIOIC ACID
● 2,3-DIHYDROXYBUTANEDIOIC ACID
● BUTANEDIOIC ACID, 2,3-DIHYDROXY-
● BUTANEDIOIC ACID, 2,3-DIHYDROXY-, (2R,3R)-REL-
● BUTANEDIOIC ACID, 2,3DIHYDROXY, (R*,R*)(+/)
● DL- MESO-) TARTARIC ACID (D-, L-
● L-TARTARIC ACID
● MESO-) TARTARIC ACID (D-, L-, DL-
● NATURAL TARTARIC ACID
● TARTARIC ACID
● TARTARIC ACID (D-, L-, DL-, MESO-)

This ingredient is not currently on EWG's Skin Deep Restricted or Unacceptable Lists.

Tartaric Acid is an organic acid.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

  • LOW
    Cancer
  • LOW
    Allergies & Immunotoxicity
  • LOW
    Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
  • LOW
    Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

Expand content Collapse content
mask31 products
conditioner27 products
shampoo24 products
exfoliant/scrub22 products
hair treatment/serum13 products
serums & essences10 products
around-eye cream9 products
facial moisturizer/treatment7 products
facial cleanser6 products
toners/astringents5 products
bath oil/salts/soak5 products
mascara3 products
hair styling aide3 products
toothpaste3 products
detangler3 products
body wash/cleanser2 products
anti-aging2 products
hair color and bleaching1 products
hair spray1 products
body spray1 products
bar soap1 products
fragrance for women1 products
shaving cream (men's)1 products
baby soap1 products
after shave1 products
tooth whitening1 products
makeup primer1 products
body firming lotion1 products
skin fading/lightener1 products

Multiple, additive exposure sources

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodFDA Food Additive Status

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
1482 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Persistence and bioaccumulation

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be persistentEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
  • FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) 2006. Food Additive Status List. Downloaded from http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/%7Edms/opa-appa.html, Oct 16, 2006.
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.

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.

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WEIGHT-OF-EVIDENCE APPROACH

A product’s hazard score is not an average of the ingredients’ hazard scores. It is calculated using a weight-of-evidence approach that factors in all of the hazards or health impacts associated with the ingredients.

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
NONE

Ingredients have not been assessed.

LIMITED-FAIR

There is only a modest volume of research.

GOOD-ROBUST

Ingredients have been studied extensively.

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