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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED®

Data: Limited

Cetyl Esters

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Other Concerns

Use restrictions (low) and Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (low)

SYNONYMS

● CETYL ESTERS
● SYNTHETIC SPERMACETI WAX
● SPERMACETI WAX; SPERMACETI WAX, REFINED

Restricted

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

This ingredient is a synthetic wax.

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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conditioner387 products
mask72 products
lip balm15 products
hair color and bleaching50 products
hair spray1 products
hair treatment/serum115 products
styling gel/lotion10 products
Putties, Puddings & Clays1 products
after sun product1 products
moisturizer91 products
body firming lotion17 products
hand cream7 products
foundation55 products
hair styling aid49 products
foot moisturizer5 products
detangler5 products
facial moisturizer/treatment34 products
exfoliant/scrub10 products
shampoo10 products
mouthwash1 products
glitter1 products
BB cream2 products
anti-aging3 products
Baby Hair Conditioner1 products
sunless tanning2 products
beard care6 products
around-eye cream14 products
mascara3 products
damaged skin treatment2 products
facial cleanser3 products
bronzer/highlighter4 products
recreational sunscreen7 products
daily use with SPF5 products
serums & essences5 products
body wash/cleanser4 products
lip balm with SPF9 products
concealer10 products
baby sunscreen1 products
lipstick6 products
liquid hand soap1 products
antiperspirant/deodorant2 products
bath oil/salts/soak1 products
bubble bath1 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)1 products
baby lotion1 products
beard oil1 products
blush5 products
eye shadow5 products

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Risk assessment method deficiencies and data gaps - Maximum reported 'as used' concentration is basis of safety assessment by industry safety panel (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, CIR) - implicit safe concentration limit in productCosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR)

Use restrictions

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - Safe for use in cosmetics with some qualificationsCosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR)

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
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 not expected to be potentially toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment Canada
  • 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?

Enter the ingredients in EWG’s Build Your Own Report tool to get an approximate score for that product.

BUILD YOUR OWN REPORT

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