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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED®

Data: Fair

Xanthan Gum

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

SYNONYMS

● CORN SUGAR GUM
● POLYSACCHARIDE B 1459
● XANTHAN
● XANTHAN GUM

Restricted

Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation

Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide, a sugar-based polymer produced by bacteria; it is used as a viscosity agent in personal care products and foods.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

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

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

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facial moisturizer/treatment874 products
mask761 products
moisturizer622 products
serums & essences597 products
facial cleanser375 products
toothpaste352 products
foundation339 products
recreational sunscreen254 products
around-eye cream253 products
daily use with SPF242 products
hand cream189 products
exfoliant/scrub176 products
body wash/cleanser161 products
concealer159 products
mascara151 products
shampoo120 products
eye liner93 products
brow liner92 products
hair treatment/serum80 products
eye shadow77 products
baby lotion75 products
makeup primer74 products
bronzer/highlighter62 products
anti-aging57 products
toners/astringents57 products
blush57 products
sunless tanning47 products
47 products
hair color and bleaching46 products
conditioner44 products
BB cream40 products
baby wipes36 products
hair styling aide33 products
baby soap32 products
body firming lotion32 products
baby shampoo32 products
antiperspirant/deodorant27 products
styling gel/lotion26 products
liquid hand soap26 products
lipstick24 products
after sun product23 products
baby toothpaste22 products
foot moisturizer21 products
makeup remover21 products
baby bubble bath20 products
muscle/joint soreness19 products
skin fading/lightener19 products
lip gloss19 products
baby sunscreen19 products
after shave17 products
lip balm13 products
tooth whitening12 products
bath oil/salts/soak12 products
setting powder/spray10 products
beard cleanser8 products
shaving cream6 products
bubble bath6 products
bar soap6 products
detangler6 products
CC cream6 products
tanning oil6 products
nail treatment5 products
shaving cream (men's)5 products
hair spray5 products
hand sanitizer5 products
lip plumper4 products
damaged skin treatment4 products
mouthwash3 products
foot cleansing3 products
diaper cream3 products
body oil3 products
eyelash glue3 products
body spray3 products
beard care3 products
body cleansing wipes3 products
oil controller2 products
cuticle treatment2 products
hair-loss treatment2 products
other eye makeup2 products
foot odor control2 products
makeup removing wipes2 products
eye makeup remover1 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)1 products
styling mousse/foam1 products
hair removal waxes1 products
depilatory1 products
facial cleansing wipes1 products

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

Informational

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - anyOpen scientific literature

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
1095 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Classified as a low human health priorityEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
  • 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.
  • Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
  • 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.

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
WEIGHT-OF-EVIDENCE APPROACH

A product’s hazard score is not an average of the ingredients’ hazard scores. It is calculated using a weight-of-evidence approach that factors in all of the hazards or health impacts associated with the ingredients.

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
NONE

Ingredients have not been assessed.

LIMITED-FAIR

There is only a modest volume of research.

GOOD-ROBUST

Ingredients have been studied extensively.

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