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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES LEARN MORE ABOUT EWG VERIFIED™
Product score: 03

Data Availability:

Limited

PCA Skin Hydrating Serum

PCA Skin Hydrating Serum

WHERE TO BUY

CATEGORY

Serums & Essences

BRAND

PCA Skin

DATA LAST UPDATED

March 2022

Ingredient concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

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

Ingredient scores

Ingredients are scored based on their formulation and concentration in this product. Click on an ingredient for more information.

Ingredient score: 01
WATER
Data Availability: Robust
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FUNCTION(S) solvent
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Ingredient score: 02
GLYCERIN
Data Availability: Good
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FUNCTION(S) denaturant, fragrance ingredient, hair conditioning agent, humectant, oral care agent;oral health care drug, skin-conditioning agent - humectant, skin protectant, viscosity decreasing agent, perfuming, solvent
CONCERNS • Use restrictions (moderate)
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Ingredient score: 02
SODIUM POLYACRYLATE
Data Availability: Fair
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FUNCTION(S) absorbent, emulsion stabilizer, film former, hair fixative, skin-conditioning agent -emollient, viscosity controlling agent, viscosity increasing agent - aqueous, binding, emollient, emulsion stabilising, film forming, hair fixing, skin conditioning, viscosity controlling
CONCERNS • Use restrictions (low)
• Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate)
• Multiple, additive exposure sources (low)
• Contamination concerns (ACRYLIC ACID)
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Ingredient score: 01
SODIUM PCA
Data Availability: Limited
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FUNCTION(S) hair conditioning agent, humectant, skin-conditioning agent - humectant, antistatic, hair conditioning, skin conditioning
CONCERNS • Use restrictions (low)
• Contamination concerns (NITROSAMINES)
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Ingredient score: 01
ALOE BARBADENSIS (ALOE VERA) LEAF JUICE
Appeared as: ALOE BARBADENSIS LEAF JUICE
Data Availability: Limited
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CONCERNS • Cancer (moderate)
• Developmental/reproductive toxicity (low)
• Use restrictions (low)
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Ingredient score: 03
SODIUM LACTATE
Data Availability: Limited
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FUNCTION(S) buffering agent, exfoliant, skin-conditioning agent - humectant, buffering, humectant, keratolytic
CONCERNS • Use restrictions (high)
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Ingredient score: 01
GLUCONOLACTONE
Data Availability: Limited
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FUNCTION(S) fragrance ingredient, humectant, solvent
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Ingredient score: 01
SODIUM HYALURONATE
Data Availability: Fair
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FUNCTION(S) skin-conditioning agent - miscellaneous, humectant, skin conditioning
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Ingredient score: 01
WHEAT AMINO ACIDS
Data Availability: None
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FUNCTION(S) hair conditioning agent, skin-conditioning agent - miscellaneous, hair conditioning, skin conditioning, skin protecting, soothing
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Ingredient score: 01
TRITICUM VULGARE (WHEAT) GERM EXTRACT
Data Availability: Limited
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FUNCTION(S) skin bleaching agent, skin-conditioning agent - miscellaneous
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Ingredient score: 03
SODIUM BENZOATE
Data Availability: Fair
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FUNCTION(S) fragrance ingredient, preservative, anticorrosive, masking
CONCERNS • Use restrictions (moderate)
• Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (low)
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Ingredient score: 01
PANTHENOL
Data Availability: Limited
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FUNCTION(S) hair conditioning agent, antistatic, hair conditioning, skin conditioning
CONCERNS • Multiple, additive exposure sources (low)
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Ingredient score: 04
SYMPHYTUM OFFICINALE (COMFREY) LEAF EXTRACT
Appeared as: SYMPHYTUM OFFICINALE LEAF EXTRACT
Data Availability: Limited
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FUNCTION(S) not reported, antidandruff, soothing
CONCERNS • Cancer (moderate)
• Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (high)
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Ingredient score: 01
SACCHAROMYCES/ LYSATE EXTRACT
Data Availability: Limited
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FUNCTION(S) not reported, humectant, skin conditioning
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Ingredient score: 01
HYDROXYPROLINE
Data Availability: Fair
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FUNCTION(S) hair conditioning agent, skin-conditioning agent - miscellaneous, antistatic, hair conditioning, skin conditioning, surfactant
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Ingredient score: 01
FRUCTOSE
Data Availability: Fair
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FUNCTION(S) flavoring agent, humectant, skin-conditioning agent - humectant
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Ingredient score: 01
GLYCINE
Data Availability: Fair
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FUNCTION(S) buffering agent, fragrance ingredient, hair conditioning agent, skin-conditioning agent -miscellaneous, antistatic, buffering, hair conditioning, skin conditioning
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Ingredient score: 01
INOSITOL
Data Availability: Fair
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FUNCTION(S) hair conditioning agent, humectant, antistatic, hair conditioning
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Ingredient score: 01
NIACINAMIDE
Data Availability: Fair
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FUNCTION(S) hair conditioning agent, skin-conditioning agent - miscellaneous, smoothing
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Ingredient score: 03
UREA
Data Availability: Good
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FUNCTION(S) buffering agent, humectant, skin-conditioning agent - humectant, antistatic, buffering, skin conditioning
CONCERNS • Cancer (low)
• Enhanced skin absorption
• Use restrictions (moderate)
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Ingredients from packaging:

Water, Glycerin, Sodium Polyacrylate, Sodium PCA, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sodium Lactate, Gluconolactone, Sodium Hyaluronate, Wheat Amino Acids, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Panthenol, Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract, Saccharomyces Lysate Extract, Hydroxyproline, Fructose, Glycine, Inositol, Niacinamide, Urea

Product's animal testing policies

Some cosmetics companies have taken People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and Leaping Bunny animal-testing pledges. For consumers who are concerned about companies’ policies on animal testing, Skin Deep reports this information.


Unknown

Leading international certifiers PETA and Leaping Bunny have no information concerning this company’s use of animal testing.

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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