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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
| foundation | 1100 products |
| lipstick | 1093 products |
| facial moisturizer/treatment | 620 products |
| moisturizer | 560 products |
| lip balm | 519 products |
| concealer | 493 products |
| recreational sunscreen | 492 products |
| lip gloss | 377 products |
| serums & essences | 354 products |
| eye shadow | 280 products |
| bronzer/highlighter | 254 products |
| daily use with SPF | 251 products |
| conditioner | 233 products |
| eye liner | 230 products |
| mask | 220 products |
| shampoo | 214 products |
| brow liner | 202 products |
| exfoliant/scrub | 199 products |
| facial cleanser | 187 products |
| lip liner | 166 products |
| body oil | 160 products |
| blush | 149 products |
| antiperspirant/deodorant | 149 products |
| body wash/cleanser | 146 products |
| hair treatment/serum | 146 products |
| mascara | 138 products |
| around-eye cream | 124 products |
| body firming lotion | 111 products |
| hand cream | 106 products |
| baby sunscreen | 100 products |
| makeup primer | 92 products |
| hair styling aide | 90 products |
| liquid hand soap | 89 products |
| lip balm with SPF | 86 products |
| facial powder | 71 products |
| bar soap | 67 products |
| hair color and bleaching | 61 products |
| anti-aging | 54 products |
| baby lotion | 49 products |
| bath oil/salts/soak | 48 products |
| makeup remover | 47 products |
| CC cream | 44 products |
| toners/astringents | 41 products |
| lip plumper | 39 products |
| beard oil | 37 products |
| 37 products | |
| styling gel/lotion | 36 products |
| fragrance for women | 33 products |
| shaving cream | 32 products |
| baby soap | 31 products |
| sunless tanning | 30 products |
| BB cream | 30 products |
| diaper cream | 29 products |
| foot moisturizer | 22 products |
| hair spray | 22 products |
| baby shampoo | 20 products |
| setting powder/spray | 20 products |
| baby oil | 19 products |
| fragrance for men | 17 products |
| hand sanitizer | 17 products |
| shaving cream (men's) | 15 products |
| bubble bath | 15 products |
| antiperspirant/deodorant (men's) | 15 products |
| other eye makeup | 15 products |
| detangler | 14 products |
| nail polish | 14 products |
| baby wipes | 12 products |
| toothpaste | 12 products |
| beard care | 12 products |
| after shave | 11 products |
| cuticle treatment | 10 products |
| body spray | 8 products |
| styling mousse/foam | 8 products |
| vapor rubs | 8 products |
| after sun product | 7 products |
| nail treatment | 7 products |
| beard cleanser | 7 products |
| muscle/joint soreness | 6 products |
| eye makeup remover | 6 products |
| mouthwash | 6 products |
| oil controller | 5 products |
| depilatory | 5 products |
| glitter | 5 products |
| tanning oil | 4 products |
| baby bubble bath | 3 products |
| skin fading/lightener | 3 products |
| polish remover | 3 products |
| damaged skin treatment | 3 products |
| foot cleansing | 2 products |
| tooth whitening | 2 products |
| baby powder | 2 products |
| foot odor control | 2 products |
| hair-loss treatment | 1 products |
| body powder | 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
