EWG Skin Deep® | What is TITANIUM DIOXIDE (sunscreen grade)

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Data: Good

Titanium Dioxide (Sunscreen Grade)

This ingredient’s score is higher if used in products that are inhalable (e.g., sprays, powders) because of respiratory concerns.

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Enhanced skin absorption, Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (low), Occupational hazards (high), and Biochemical or cellular level changes (high)

SYNONYMS

MICRONIZED TITANIUM DIOXIDE, MICROTIO2, NANO TIO2, NANO TITANIUM DIOXIDE, TITANIUM DIOXIDE (NANO), and TITANIUM DIOXIDE (SUNSCREEN GRADE)

Restricted

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

Titanium dioxide has a long history of use as a sunscreen agent. Nano TiO2 offers greater sun protection than larger titanium particles. Comparatively little is known regarding potential health effects of nanoparticles. They do not penetrate healthy skin, and thus appear to pose a low health risk in lotions. Inhalation of powders and sprays is a concern.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

MODERATE

Cancer
LOW

Allergies & Immunotoxicity
LOW

Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
LOW

Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

CONCERNS
DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

foundation	394 products
daily use with SPF	364 products
recreational sunscreen	213 products
lipstick	138 products
eye shadow	136 products
BB cream	126 products
concealer	76 products
CC cream	67 products
lip gloss	52 products
blush	52 products
bar soap	50 products
baby sunscreen	49 products
bronzer/highlighter	42 products
	38 products
brow liner	36 products
lip balm with SPF	35 products
facial powder	30 products
lip liner	28 products
eye liner	23 products
mascara	15 products
lip plumper	13 products
anti-aging	12 products
lip balm	10 products
around-eye cream	10 products
makeup primer	9 products
serums & essences	8 products
mask	7 products
shampoo	6 products
exfoliant/scrub	6 products
nail polish	5 products
setting powder/spray	5 products
toothpaste	4 products
facial moisturizer/treatment	4 products
facial cleanser	4 products
body wash/cleanser	4 products
hair color and bleaching	3 products
bath oil/salts/soak	3 products
moisturizer	3 products
tanning oil	2 products
baby lotion	1 products
body art	1 products
styling gel/lotion	1 products
detangler	1 products
fragrance for men	1 products
eyelash glue	1 products
other eye makeup	1 products

Enhanced skin absorption

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Nano-scale ingredients with potential to absorb into the skin	Nanomaterial Database
Suspected nano-scale ingredients with potential to absorb into the skin	Nanomaterial Database
Does not cause enhanced penetration	Open scientific literature

Biochemical or cellular level changes

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Produces excess reactive oxygen species that can interfere with cellular signaling, cause mutations, lead to cell death and may be implicated in cardiovascular disease.	Open scientific literature
One or more animal studies show organ changes at moderate doses where the human health implications are not yet well understood	Open scientific literature

Occupational hazards

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Allowed workplace exposures restricted to low doses	National Library of Medicine HazMap

Cancer

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Limited evidence of carcinogenicity	NIOSH Occupational Carcinogens
Limited evidence of carcinogenicity	Int'l Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) - Carcinogens
Cancer - limited evidence	Scorecard.org Toxicity Information
One or more in vitro tests on mammalian cells show positive mutation results	Open scientific literature

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Classified as medium human health priority	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List
Classified as expected to be toxic or harmful	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List
One or more animal studies show respiratory effects at very low doses	Open scientific literature
Associated with respiratory toxicity	Open scientific literature
Associated with any toxicity	EPA Toxic Release Inventory PBTs

Decreased skin absorption

CONCERN	REFERENCE
No absorption into intact skin	Open scientific literature

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

CONCERN	REFERENCE
One or more animal studies show significant but moderate pulmonary irritation at low doses	Open scientific literature

Allergies/immunotoxicity

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Associated with immunotoxicity or allergies	Open scientific literature

Ecotoxicology

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

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 Additives - Exempt from Batch Certification by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration	CTFA International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook

Multiple, additive exposure sources

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food	FDA Everything Added to Food

Persistence and bioaccumulation

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

Data gaps

CONCERN	REFERENCE
10185 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical	NLM PubMed

NanoWerk. 2007. Nanomaterial Database. Available online: http://www.nanowerk.com/phpscripts/n_dbsearch.php
Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2006. HazMap — Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents.
NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health). 2006. NIOSH Carcinogens List (Potential occupational carcinogens). http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npotocca.html.
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).
ED (Environmental Defense). 2006. Scorecard _ The Pollution Information Site. http://www.scorecard.org.
EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 1999. Toxics Release Inventory Program. PBT Chemical Rule.
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.
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.
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.

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Low Availability

Moderate Availability

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