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Data: Good

Triethanolamine

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

SEARCH PRODUCTS

Other Concerns

Use restrictions (high), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate), and Contamination concerns (high)

SYNONYMS

● 2,2',2"-NITRILOTRIS[ETHANOL]
● 2,2',2''-NITRILOTRIETHANOL
● ETHANOL, 2,2 ,2 NITRILOTRIS
● ETHANOL, 2,2',2"-NITRILOTRIS-
● TEA
● TRIETHANOLAMINE
● TROLAMINE

Unacceptable

Unacceptable: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient


Triethanolamine is a strongly alkaline substance used as surfactant and pH adjusting chemical.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

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

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

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moisturizer210 products
mascara141 products
facial moisturizer/treatment101 products
mask89 products
shaving cream78 products
hair styling aide68 products
styling gel/lotion60 products
recreational sunscreen57 products
shaving cream (men's)50 products
eye shadow45 products
hand cream39 products
facial cleanser36 products
after sun product36 products
serums & essences35 products
exfoliant/scrub33 products
hand sanitizer31 products
around-eye cream30 products
daily use with SPF30 products
hair treatment/serum27 products
foundation22 products
shampoo21 products
brow liner20 products
eye liner19 products
hair color and bleaching18 products
body wash/cleanser16 products
conditioner15 products
body firming lotion13 products
glitter13 products
after shave12 products
anti-aging12 products
fragrance for women9 products
bar soap9 products
toners/astringents8 products
tooth whitening8 products
makeup primer8 products
foot moisturizer7 products
hair spray7 products
baby lotion6 products
muscle/joint soreness6 products
eyelash glue6 products
baby sunscreen6 products
concealer4 products
lipstick4 products
styling mousse/foam4 products
BB cream4 products
damaged skin treatment4 products
lip balm3 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)3 products
beard care3 products
makeup remover2 products
nail treatment2 products
baby soap2 products
liquid hand soap2 products
cuticle treatment2 products
bronzer/highlighter2 products
2 products
setting powder/spray2 products
pore strips2 products
skin fading/lightener1 products
depilatory1 products
hair removal waxes1 products
body spray1 products
fragrance for men1 products
detangler1 products
tanning oil1 products
eye makeup remover1 products
hair-loss treatment1 products
hair relaxer1 products
lip gloss1 products
other eye makeup1 products
antiperspirant/deodorant1 products
foot odor control1 products
baby shampoo1 products
lip plumper1 products
baby wipes1 products

Contamination concerns

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Chemical
NITROSAMINES

Use restrictions

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Violation of government restrictions - Restricted in cosmetics; use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - anyOpen scientific literature
Restricted in cosmetics (recommendations or requirements) - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - anyCosIng
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - Safe for use in cosmetics with some qualificationsCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Allergies/immunotoxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Human immune and respiratory toxicant or allergen - strong evidenceAssociation of Occupational and Environmental Clinics
Human skin toxicant or allergen - strong evidenceCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
Limited evidence of immune system toxicity or allergiesNational Library of Medicine HazMap

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as expected to be toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Classified as medium human health priorityEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
One or more animal studies show any effects at moderate doses (low dose studies may be unavailable for this ingredient)EPA Categorized List of Inert Pesticide Ingredients

Data gaps

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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 productCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
22829 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

Persistence and bioaccumulation

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Cancer

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not likely to be carcinogenic in humansOpen scientific literature
Limited or incomplete evidence of cancer according to safety/hazard data – government assessment cannot classify as human carcinogen due to data gapsInt'l Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) - Carcinogens

Multiple, additive exposure sources

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

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
  • Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
  • European Commission. 2013. Cosing, the European Commission database with information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. Accessed on March 1, 2013 at http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/cosmetics/cosing/ .
  • CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC.
  • AOEC (Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics). 2009. AEOC exposures codes and asthmagen designation.
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2006. HazMap — Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents.
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
  • EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 1987 & 2005. Office of Pesticide Programs. Inert (other) Pesticide Ingredients in Pesticide Products - Categorized List of Inert (other) Pesticide Ingredients.
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
  • IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer). 2008. Overall Evaluations of Carcinogenicity to Humans, as evaluated in IARC Monographs Volumes 1-99 (a total of 935 agents, mixtures and exposures).
  • 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.
  • 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.

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.

Score legend

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

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