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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED®

Data: Fair

Zea Mays (Corn) Starch

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

SYNONYMS

● CORN STARCH
● OPICAL STARCH
● STARCH, CORN
● STARCH, ZEA MAYS
● ZEA MAYS (CORN) STARCH
● ZEA MAYS STARCH

This ingredient is not currently on EWG's Skin Deep Restricted or Unacceptable Lists.

Zea Mays (Corn) Starch is a starch obtained from corn.

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

Expand content Collapse content
antiperspirant/deodorant104 products
blush95 products
eye shadow90 products
bath oil/salts/soak88 products
lipstick73 products
bronzer/highlighter62 products
foundation50 products
moisturizer45 products
facial powder40 products
baby powder40 products
facial moisturizer/treatment39 products
shampoo38 products
body powder37 products
setting powder/spray31 products
bar soap30 products
mask23 products
exfoliant/scrub22 products
sunless tanning17 products
conditioner17 products
facial cleanser15 products
hair treatment/serum14 products
mascara14 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)13 products
daily use with SPF13 products
brow liner12 products
foot odor control10 products
lip balm9 products
hair styling aide8 products
body firming lotion7 products
baby lotion7 products
diaper cream7 products
7 products
bubble bath6 products
serums & essences5 products
lip plumper5 products
hair color and bleaching4 products
body spray4 products
lip gloss4 products
recreational sunscreen3 products
styling gel/lotion3 products
BB cream3 products
toothpaste3 products
makeup primer3 products
styling mousse/foam3 products
body wash/cleanser3 products
hand cream2 products
skin fading/lightener2 products
concealer2 products
CC cream2 products
shaving cream (men's)2 products
hand sanitizer2 products
foot cleansing2 products
muscle/joint soreness2 products
hair spray1 products
baby soap1 products
baby sunscreen1 products
mouthwash1 products
makeup remover1 products
after shave1 products
baby bubble bath1 products
around-eye cream1 products
fragrance for women1 products
eye liner1 products
oil controller1 products
shaving cream1 products
anti-aging1 products
lip liner1 products

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
32418 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

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 - anyCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

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
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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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September 23, 2023 | Los Angeles, CA

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