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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED®

Data: Limited

Alcohol Ethoxylates (C12)

  • 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)
  • This ingredient's score is higher if there is potential contamination from toxic impurities. The score will be lower if used in products that meet EWG’s contamination restrictions.

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (low_moderate), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (moderate), and Contamination concerns (high)

SYNONYMS

● E0264
● ST51046408
● UNII-P30F471M6B COMPONENT SFNALCNOMXIBKG-UHFFFAOYSA-N
● NCGC00274074-01
● A MIXTURE OF MONOLAURYL ETHERS OF POLYOXYETHYLENE GLYCOLS HAVING A STATISTICAL AVERAGE OF 8 ETHYLENE OXIDE GROUPS PER MOLECULE
● POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL MONODODECYL ETHER, THE NAME IS FOLLOWED BY A NUMBER (400) CORRESPONDING APPROXIMATELY TO THE AVERAGE MOLECULAR MASS OF THE POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL PORTION
● D01993
● D01539
● NCGC00256261-01
● FT-0722559

Restricted

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

Laureth-23 is a polyethylene glycol ether of Lauryl Alcohol (q.v.).

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

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styling gel/lotion25 products
hair spray5 products
facial moisturizer/treatment39 products
skin fading/lightener4 products
anti-aging8 products
hair styling aid27 products
Hair Styling Gel2 products
shampoo119 products
shaving cream (men's)25 products
facial cleanser1 products
hair relaxer2 products
hair treatment/serum15 products
hair color and bleaching82 products
conditioner38 products
body wash/cleanser12 products
shaving cream81 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)2 products
serums & essences21 products
foot moisturizer2 products
antiperspirant/deodorant4 products
moisturizer32 products
after sun product5 products
body firming lotion1 products
mascara1 products
blush1 products
exfoliant/scrub2 products
baby lotion4 products
mask5 products
sunless tanning3 products
makeup remover1 products
daily use with SPF1 products
styling mousse/foam7 products
toners/astringents2 products
setting powder/spray1 products
glitter17 products
bronzer/highlighter6 products
hand cream1 products
Preshave Preparations2 products
eye shadow1 products
Oils & Serums2 products
detangler4 products
hair perm1 products
beard care1 products
beard cleanser1 products
around-eye cream8 products

Contamination concerns

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Chemical
ETHYLENE OXIDE
1,4-DIOXANE

Multiple, additive exposure sources

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodUS. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Safety assessment was based on related chemicalCosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR)

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 (CIR)

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Human any irritant - strong evidenceCosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR)
skin/eye/lung irritation - weight of evidence unknown/unassessedCosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR)

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as expected to be toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada
Classified as medium human health priorityEnvironment Canada

Persistence and bioaccumulation

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be persistentEnvironment Canada
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment Canada
  • US. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  • Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR)
  • Environment Canada

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.

Can’t find your product?

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