Triclosan
- This ingredient’s score is higher if used in products that are inhalable (e.g., sprays, powders) because of respiratory concerns.
Other Concerns
Use restrictions (moderate), Endocrine disruption (moderate), Persistence and bioaccumulation (moderate), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate), Ecotoxicology (low), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (high), and Contamination concerns (high)SYNONYMS
Restricted - Unaccpetable
The score of this ingredient can vary from Restricted to Unacceptable based on the method of product consumption. For instance, when used in aerosol-based products, this ingredient may pose a risk to respiratory health, leading to a higher score
Click here for more information about ingredient scores
Triclosan is an antibacterial agent and preservative used in personal care and home-cleaning products; persistent in the environment and may be associated with endocrine (hormonal) toxicity.
Common concerns
See how this product scores for common concerns.
-
LOWCancer
-
MODERATEAllergies & Immunotoxicity
-
LOWDevelopmental and Reproductive Toxicity
-
MODERATEUse Restrictions
Ingredient concerns
- CONCERNS
- DATA SOURCES
Products with this Ingredient
eye shadow | 5 products |
toothpaste | 3 products |
shampoo | 2 products |
1 products | |
bar soap | 1 products |
Contamination concerns
Chemical |
---|
CHLOROFORM |
DIOXINS |
Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Classified as irritant | CPS&Q - Classification & Labelling |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Persistent or bioaccumulative and moderate to high toxicity concern in humans | Open scientific literature |
Persistent, bioaccumulative in wildlife | Emerging PBTs from peer-reviewed literature |
Allergies/immunotoxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Human any toxicant or allergen - strong evidence | Open scientific literature |
One or more human case studies show possible immune or allergenic effects | Open scientific literature |
Use restrictions
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Restricted in cosmetics (recommendations or requirements) - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Japan - restricted for use in cosmetics (concentration limit) | Japan's Standards for Cosmetics |
Restricted in cosmetics (recommendations or requirements) - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Use is restricted in Canadian cosmetics | Canada - Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetics Ingredients |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Classified as expected to be toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Classified as potentially toxic or harmful | Open scientific literature |
Endocrine disruption
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
One or more studies show endocrine disruption at very low doses | Open scientific literature |
One or more studies show moderate endocrine disruption | Open scientific literature |
Ecotoxicology
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Wildlife and environmental toxicity | CPS&Q - Classification & Labelling |
Suspected to be an environmental toxin and be persistent or bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
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 |
1875 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
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
- Emerging PBTs from peer-reviewed literature
- Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. 2006. Standards for Cosmetics. Evaluation and Licensing Division. Pharmaceutical and Food Safety Bureau.
- Health Canada. 2007. List of Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetic Ingredients. Canada's Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist. March 2007.
- EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
- 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.
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 SCORESHazard 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.