Menu
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 | 1034 products |
| foundation | 1031 products |
| facial moisturizer/treatment | 557 products |
| moisturizer | 518 products |
| lip balm | 444 products |
| beach & sport sunscreen | 441 products |
| concealer | 432 products |
| lip gloss | 350 products |
| serums & essences | 305 products |
| eye shadow | 256 products |
| bronzer/highlighter | 242 products |
| moisturizer with SPF | 239 products |
| eye liner | 219 products |
| brow liner | 190 products |
| conditioner | 190 products |
| mask | 186 products |
| exfoliant/scrub | 176 products |
| facial cleanser | 167 products |
| shampoo | 167 products |
| lip liner | 167 products |
| blush | 143 products |
| body oil | 140 products |
| body wash/cleanser | 131 products |
| hair treatment/serum | 115 products |
| mascara | 113 products |
| around-eye cream | 108 products |
| antiperspirant/deodorant | 107 products |
| hand cream | 91 products |
| makeup primer | 90 products |
| lip balm with SPF | 74 products |
| liquid hand soap | 73 products |
| body firming lotion | 73 products |
| hair styling aide | 64 products |
| facial powder | 61 products |
| bar soap | 54 products |
| anti-aging | 50 products |
| hair color and bleaching | 49 products |
| bath oil/salts/soak | 45 products |
| baby sunscreen | 44 products |
| baby lotion | 43 products |
| makeup remover | 41 products |
| toners/astringents | 36 products |
| beard oil | 34 products |
| styling gel/lotion | 33 products |
| lip plumper | 33 products |
| CC cream | 32 products |
| shaving cream | 29 products |
| diaper cream | 28 products |
| fragrance for women | 28 products |
| 28 products | |
| BB cream | 28 products |
| baby soap | 27 products |
| sunless tanning | 24 products |
| hair spray | 18 products |
| baby oil | 18 products |
| baby shampoo | 17 products |
| foot moisturizer | 17 products |
| fragrance for men | 15 products |
| shaving cream (men's) | 14 products |
| other eye makeup | 14 products |
| antiperspirant/deodorant (men's) | 13 products |
| hand sanitizer | 12 products |
| toothpaste | 12 products |
| baby wipes | 11 products |
| after shave | 10 products |
| cuticle treatment | 10 products |
| detangler | 10 products |
| beard care | 10 products |
| bubble bath | 9 products |
| vapor rubs | 9 products |
| eye makeup remover | 7 products |
| styling mousse/foam | 7 products |
| after sun product | 6 products |
| beard cleanser | 6 products |
| muscle/joint soreness | 6 products |
| nail treatment | 6 products |
| glitter | 5 products |
| body spray | 5 products |
| oil controller | 4 products |
| mouthwash | 4 products |
| damaged skin treatment | 3 products |
| depilatory | 2 products |
| baby bubble bath | 2 products |
| skin fading/lightener | 2 products |
| tanning oil | 2 products |
| foot cleansing | 2 products |
| baby powder | 2 products |
| foot odor control | 2 products |
| polish remover | 1 products |
| nail polish | 1 products |
| body powder | 1 products |
| eyelash glue | 1 products |
| tooth whitening | 1 products |
| body art | 1 products |
| setting powder/spray | 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
ABOUT EWG VERIFIED™
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
