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TOCOPHEROL
Score:
Data: Fair
- Other Concerns
- Functions
- About the Chemical
- Synonyms
-
Contamination concerns (high)
Cancer 
Cancer: Ingredients linked to cancer in government, industry or academic studies or assessments.
Developmental & Reproductive Toxicity
Developmental and reproductive toxicity: Ingredients linked to developmental and reproductive toxicity, a broad class of health effects that range from infertility and reproductive organ cancers to birth defects and developmental delays in children.
Allergies & Immunotoxicity
Allergies and immunotoxicity: Ingredients linked to harm to the immune system, a class of health problems that manifest as allergic reactions or an impaired capacity to fight disease and repair damaged tissue in the body.
Products with this Ingredient
| lipstick | 897 products |
| foundation | 815 products |
| facial moisturizer/treatment | 456 products |
| moisturizer | 447 products |
| beach & sport sunscreen | 390 products |
| concealer | 362 products |
| lip balm | 333 products |
| lip gloss | 286 products |
| serums & essences | 252 products |
| moisturizer with SPF | 206 products |
| bronzer/highlighter | 199 products |
| eye shadow | 183 products |
| eye liner | 166 products |
| exfoliant/scrub | 148 products |
| conditioner | 147 products |
| mask | 142 products |
| lip liner | 140 products |
| brow liner | 139 products |
| shampoo | 134 products |
| facial cleanser | 128 products |
| body oil | 121 products |
| blush | 115 products |
| body wash/cleanser | 106 products |
| mascara | 94 products |
| antiperspirant/deodorant | 87 products |
| around-eye cream | 85 products |
| hair treatment/serum | 76 products |
| makeup primer | 67 products |
| lip balm with SPF | 61 products |
| hand cream | 58 products |
| facial powder | 51 products |
| liquid hand soap | 51 products |
| hair color and bleaching | 47 products |
| bath oil/salts/soak | 42 products |
| baby sunscreen | 41 products |
| hair styling aide | 40 products |
| anti-aging | 40 products |
| body firming lotion | 37 products |
| baby lotion | 36 products |
| makeup remover | 33 products |
| bar soap | 32 products |
| beard oil | 31 products |
| styling gel/lotion | 29 products |
| fragrance for women | 27 products |
| CC cream | 27 products |
| BB cream | 24 products |
| shaving cream | 22 products |
| toners/astringents | 22 products |
| baby soap | 19 products |
| baby oil | 18 products |
| diaper cream | 17 products |
| lip plumper | 17 products |
| sunless tanning | 15 products |
| hair spray | 15 products |
| other eye makeup | 14 products |
| foot moisturizer | 14 products |
| fragrance for men | 12 products |
| toothpaste | 12 products |
| 12 products | |
| baby wipes | 10 products |
| baby shampoo | 10 products |
| vapor rubs | 9 products |
| shaving cream (men's) | 9 products |
| hand sanitizer | 9 products |
| bubble bath | 9 products |
| beard care | 8 products |
| cuticle treatment | 8 products |
| makeup with SPF | 8 products |
| after shave | 8 products |
| antiperspirant/deodorant (men's) | 8 products |
| eye makeup remover | 7 products |
| body spray | 7 products |
| detangler | 7 products |
| muscle/joint soreness | 5 products |
| nail treatment | 5 products |
| after sun product | 5 products |
| styling mousse/foam | 4 products |
| mouthwash | 4 products |
| oil controller | 4 products |
| depilatory | 4 products |
| glitter | 4 products |
| other men's products | 3 products |
| beard cleanser | 3 products |
| baby bubble bath | 2 products |
| baby powder | 2 products |
| foot odor control | 2 products |
| damaged skin treatment | 2 products |
| skin fading/lightener | 1 products |
| tanning oil | 1 products |
| foot cleansing | 1 products |
| tooth whitening | 1 products |
| polish remover | 1 products |
| nail polish | 1 products |
| eyelash glue | 1 products |
| body art | 1 products |
Contamination concerns
| Chemical |
|---|
| HYDROQUINONE |
Cancer
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Subcutaneously injection of Vitamin E induced formation of fast growing fibrosarcomata at the site of the injection | Constantinides P, Harkey M 1985. Initiation of a transplantable fibrosarcoma by the synergism of two non-initiators, alpha-tocopherol and soya oil. Virchows Arch A Pathol Anat Histopathol 405(3): 285-97. |
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 |
| 43489 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
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 Food Additive Status |
| Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Everything Added to Food |
Informational
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - any | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
| Concern | Reference |
|---|---|
| Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Data Sources
- Constantinides P, Harkey M 1985. Initiation of a transplantable fibrosarcoma by the synergism of two non-initiators, alpha-tocopherol and soya oil. Virchows Arch A Pathol Anat Histopathol 405(3): 285-97.
- 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.
- EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
- 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.
- 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.
ABOUT THE SKIN DEEP® RATINGS
EWG provides information on personal care product ingredients from the published scientific literature, to supplement incomplete data available from companies and the government. The ratings below indicate the relative level of concern posed by exposure to the ingredients in this product - not the product itself - compared to other product formulations. The ratings reflect potential health hazards but do not account for the level of exposure or individual susceptibility, factors which determine actual health risks, if any. Learn more | Legal Disclaimer
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Beyond providing Skin Deep® as an educational tool for consumers, EWG offers its EWG VERIFIED™ mark as a quick and easily identifiable way of conveying personal care products that meet EWG's strict health criteria. Before a company can use EWG VERIFIED™ on such products, the company must show that it fully discloses the products' ingredients on their labels or packaging, they do not contain EWG ingredients of concern, and are made with good manufacturing practices, among other criteria. Note that EWG receives licensing fees from all EWG VERIFIED™ member companies that help to support the important work we do. Learn more | Legal Disclaimer
