EWG Skin Deep® | What is ZINC OXIDE

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED®

Data: Good

Zinc Oxide

Products with this ingredient are allowed for use in EWG VERIFIED but must meet use restrictions and warnings based on EWG review of company data.
This ingredient's score is higher if used in product forms that are inhalable (e.g., sprays, powders) because of respiratory concerns. The score is lower if used in product forms that have lower risk of inhalation (e.g., solids, liquids)

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Persistence and bioaccumulation (moderate), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (low_moderate), Ecotoxicology (low), and Occupational hazards (moderate)

SYNONYMS

● ZINC OXIDE, ACS REAGENT, >=99.0%

● FT-0640838

● FT-0645092

● D01170

● ZINC OXIDE, NANOPOWDER, <100 NM PARTICLE SIZE

● Q190077

● ZINC OXIDE NANODISPERSION TYPE A-NONIONIC (70NM)

● ZINC OXIDE NANODISPERSION TYPE B-ANIONIC (70NM)

● ZINC OXIDE NANODISPERSION TYPE C-CATIONIC (70NM)

● FT-0631786

Restricted

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

Zinc Oxide is an inorganic oxide used as a colorant and sunscreen agent.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

LOW

Cancer
LOW_MODERATE

Allergies & Immunotoxicity
LOW

Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
LOW

Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

CONCERNS
DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

foundation	660 products
diaper cream	47 products
foot moisturizer	2 products
hand cream	3 products
moisturizer	25 products
mask	51 products
makeup primer	22 products
facial powder	62 products
blush	59 products
lip gloss	21 products
tooth whitening	1 products
toothpaste	15 products
eye liner	19 products
lip liner	51 products
facial moisturizer/treatment	66 products
eye shadow	83 products
BB cream	22 products
anti-aging	7 products
antiperspirant/deodorant	103 products
body firming lotion	4 products
concealer	171 products
lip balm	25 products
lip balm with SPF	7 products
body powder	36 products
bath oil/salts/soak	4 products
hair color and bleaching	22 products
foot odor control	6 products
brow liner	5 products
facial cleanser	11 products
bar soap	16 products
recreational sunscreen	131 products
daily use with SPF	52 products
Facial Sun Care	2 products
baby sunscreen	29 products
baby lotion	8 products
body wash/cleanser	10 products
bronzer/highlighter	42 products
body spray	3 products
mascara	2 products
setting powder/spray	20 products
depilatory	3 products
around-eye cream	4 products
lipstick	43 products
shampoo	4 products
exfoliant/scrub	12 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)	10 products
hair removal waxes	3 products
after shave	1 products
shaving cream	1 products
CC cream	17 products
nail polish	13 products
bubble bath	1 products
damaged skin treatment	1 products
acne treatment	1 products
skin fading/lightener	2 products
Eye Shadow Primers	1 products
toners/astringents	2 products
hair styling aide	1 products
conditioner	1 products
serums & essences	7 products
hair spray	6 products
baby powder	3 products
liquid hand soap	1 products
Fragrance Powder	1 products
tanning oil	1 products
shaving cream (men's)	3 products

Occupational hazards

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Moderate evidence of occupational hazards
Strong evidence of occupational hazards
Allowed workplace exposures restricted to moderate doses	National Library of Medicine HazMap

Persistence and bioaccumulation

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Found to be persistent and bioaccumulative in wildlife
Not suspected to be persistent	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List
Not suspected to be bioaccumulative	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List
Persistent, bioaccumulative in wildlife	Canada PBTs - Accelerated Reduction/Elimination of Toxics (ARET)

Allergies/immunotoxicity

CONCERN	REFERENCE
One or more animal studies show or allergenic effects at very low doses

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Associated with respiratory toxicity
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List
Classified as a low human health priority	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List
One or more animal studies show classified as toxic effects at moderate doses (low dose studies may be unavailable for this ingredient)	EPA Toxic Release Inventory PBTs
Possible human [[system]] toxicant	Puffs

Enhanced skin absorption

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Does not cause enhanced penetration

Decreased skin absorption

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Limited potential to absorb into the skin.

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 - Color additive approved by FDA for use in cosmetics	FDA Color Additive Status
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - Color additive approved by FDA for cosmetics used around eyes	FDA Color Additive Status
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - Color Additives - Exempt from Batch Certification by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration	CTFA International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook

Ecotoxicology

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxin	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List
Wildlife and environmental toxicity	Puffs
Wildlife and environmental toxicity	Puffs

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.
EC (Environment Canada). 1994. Accelerated Reduction/Elimination of Toxics (ARET). ARET substance list of persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals.
EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 1999. Toxics Release Inventory Program. PBT Chemical Rule.
Puffs
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.
FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) 2006. Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Color Additive Status List. September 2006.
CTFA (Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association). 2006. International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook, 11th Edition. Color Additive Information. Washington, DC.

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.

Data availability

The Skin Deep data availability rating reflects the number of scientific studies about the product or ingredient in the published scientific literature.

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