EWG Skin Deep® | What is XYLENE

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED®

Data: Good

Xylene

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Neurotoxicity (high), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (high), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (high), and Occupational hazards (high)

SYNONYMS

● BENZENE, DIMETHYL

● BENZENE, DIMETHYL-

● DIMETHYL- BENZENE

● DIMETHYLBENZENE

● META-XYLENE

● TOTAL XYLENE

● TOTAL XYLENES

● XYLENE

● XYLENE (MIXED)

● XYLENES

● XYLENES (TOTAL)

Unacceptable

Unacceptable: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient

Xylene is a mixture of isomers of the aromatic compound.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

LOW

Cancer
MODERATE

Allergies & Immunotoxicity
MODERATE

Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
LOW

Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

CONCERNS
DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

nail polish	1 products
eye shadow	1 products
exfoliant/scrub	1 products
shampoo	1 products
moisturizer	1 products

Neurotoxicity

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Known human nervous system toxicant	Open scientific literature
nervous system - weight of evidence unknown/unassessed/unreview: published lit review or major tox study	National Library of Medicine HazMap

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Known human respiratory toxicant	EPA Hazardous Air Pollutants
Classified as toxic or harmful	CPS&Q - Classification & Labelling
Limited evidence of gastrointestinal or liver toxicity	National Library of Medicine HazMap
Limited evidence of gastrointestinal or liver toxicity	Scorecard.org Toxicity Information
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
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
Classified as a low human health priority	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List
reproductive - weight of evidence unknown/unassessed/unreview: published lit review or major tox study	National Library of Medicine HazMap

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Classified as irritant	CPS&Q - Classification & Labelling

Occupational hazards

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Allowed workplace exposures restricted to low doses	CPS&Q - Classification & Labelling

Developmental/reproductive toxicity

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Limited evidence of reproductive toxicity	National Library of Medicine HazMap
Limited evidence of developmental toxicity	Scorecard.org Toxicity Information

Allergies/immunotoxicity

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Limited evidence of immune system toxicity or allergies	Scorecard.org Toxicity Information

Miscellaneous

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Occupational hazards related to handling	CPS&Q - Classification & Labelling

Persistence and bioaccumulation

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Not suspected to be bioaccumulative	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List
Not suspected to be persistent	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List

Ecotoxicology

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

Cancer

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Limited or incomplete evidence of cancer according to safety/hazard data – government assessment cannot classify as human carcinogen due to data gaps	Int'l Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) - Carcinogens

Data gaps

CONCERN	REFERENCE
5886 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical	NLM PubMed

Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2006. HazMap — Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents.
EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 2005. Office of Air. The 112(b)1 Hazardous Air Pollutants List (as modified). Last modified: 12 Dec 2005.
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.
ED (Environmental Defense). 2006. Scorecard _ The Pollution Information Site. http://www.scorecard.org.
EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 1999. Toxics Release Inventory Program. PBT Chemical Rule.
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.
EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
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).
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 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.

NONE LIMITED FAIR GOOD ROBUST

Low Availability

Moderate Availability

High Availability