Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.
EWG Home EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning EWG’s Food Scores Healthy Living App Open menu

EWG's Skin Deep®
Find products and ingredients Learn how Skin Deep® works Meet our experts Discover EWG VERIFIED®
GET UPDATES DONATE
Score legend
HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED®

Data: Fair

Fd&C Red No. 4 (Ci 14700)

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

SEARCH PRODUCTS

Other Concerns

Enhanced skin absorption, Use restrictions (high), and Endocrine disruption (low)

SYNONYMS

● CI 14700
● FD&C RED 4
● FOOD RED 1
● 1-NAPHTHALENESULFONIC ACID, 3-[(2,4-DIMETHYL-5-SULFOPHENYL)AZO]-4-HYDROXY-, DISODIUM SALT
● 3-[(2,4-DIMETHYL-5-SULFOPHENYL)AZO]-4-HYDROXY- DISODIUM SALT 1-NAPHTHALENESULFONIC ACID
● DISODIUM SALT 3-[(2,4-DIMETHYL-5-SULFOPHENYL)AZO]-4-HYDROXY-1-NAPHTHALENESULFONIC ACID
● DISODIUM SALT 1-NAPHTHALENESULFONIC ACID, 3-[(2,4-DIMETHYL-5-SULFOPHENYL)AZO]-4-HYDROXY-
● AKA504
● D&C RED 4
● FD&C RED NO. 4 (CI 14700)

Unacceptable

Unacceptable: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient

FD&C Red 4 is a synthetic dye produced from petroleum; this dye is FDA-approved for use in food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

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

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

Expand content Collapse content
fragrance for men78 products
fragrance for women237 products
body spray68 products
moisturizer87 products
facial moisturizer/treatment72 products
toners/astringents15 products
shampoo95 products
styling gel/lotion17 products
bar soap87 products
body wash/cleanser144 products
hand cream14 products
nail treatment1 products
conditioner60 products
hair styling aid35 products
hair treatment/serum32 products
hair relaxer3 products
exfoliant/scrub102 products
bronzer/highlighter3 products
mask52 products
liquid hand soap197 products
bubble bath31 products
bath oil/salts/soak180 products
body firming lotion22 products
hair color and bleaching15 products
sunless tanning50 products
after shave7 products
facial cleanser31 products
anti-aging11 products
serums & essences39 products
lipstick14 products
makeup primer11 products
hand sanitizer27 products
daily use with SPF7 products
nail polish8 products
Fragrance Lotion or Cream1 products
hair-loss treatment2 products
body oil2 products
makeup remover2 products
shaving cream (men's)1 products
beard oil1 products
foot odor control2 products
foot cleansing1 products
baby bubble bath1 products
styling mousse/foam3 products
setting powder/spray9 products
around-eye cream5 products
shaving cream2 products
recreational sunscreen1 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)3 products
antiperspirant/deodorant6 products
foot moisturizer3 products
lip balm3 products
blush4 products
Exfoliants2 products
cuticle treatment1 products
mouthwash1 products
Hair Styling Gel1 products
foundation1 products
Oils & Serums1 products

Cancer

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Not likely to be carcinogenic in humansInternational Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
Not likely to be mutagenic in humansMutagenicity testing of some commonly used dyes(1981-10-01)
One or more in vitro tests on mammalian cells show positive mutation resultsIn vitro and in vivo indications of the carcinogenicity and toxicity of food dyes(1978-03-01)

Endocrine disruption

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Associated with endocrine disruptionNational Toxicology Program (NTP)

Informational

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - Color additive not approved by FDA for use in foodUS. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
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: external use onlyUS. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - Color additive not approved by FDA for cosmetics used around eyesUS. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - hair dyesEU Cosmetics Directive
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - The substance was formerly approved as a food additive but is now banned; there may be some toxicology data available.US. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - Color Additives - Batch Certified by the U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationPersonal Care Products Council

Use restrictions

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Violation of government restrictions - Restricted in cosmetics; use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Color additive approved by FDA for use in cosmetics: external use onlyUS. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Violation of government restrictions - Restricted in cosmetics; use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Color additive not approved by FDA for cosmetics used around eyesUS. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Violation of government restrictions - Banned or found unsafe for use in cosmeticsEU Cosmetics Directive
Violation of government restrictions - Restricted in cosmetics; use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - anyEU Cosmetics Directive

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada

Persistence and bioaccumulation

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be persistentEnvironment Canada
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada

Ecotoxicology

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment Canada
  • International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
  • Mutagenicity testing of some commonly used dyes(1981-10-01)
  • In vitro and in vivo indications of the carcinogenicity and toxicity of food dyes(1978-03-01)
  • National Toxicology Program (NTP)
  • US. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  • EU Cosmetics Directive
  • Personal Care Products Council
  • 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

News & updates

Big Market for Black Cosmetics, but Less-Hazardous Choices Limited
RESEARCH
Big Market for Black Cosmetics, but Less-Hazardous Choices Limited
K-Beauty Trends: Serums, Essences and EWG’s Best Bets
RESEARCH
K-Beauty Trends: Serums, Essences and EWG’s Best Bets
FDA Asks Women To Protect Themselves From Products The Agency Refused To Ban
NEWS RELEASE
FDA Asks Women To Protect Themselves From Products The Agency Refused To Ban
Study Highlights Importance of Cosmetics Ingredient Safety Tests
NEWS RELEASE
Study Highlights Importance of Cosmetics Ingredient Safety Tests
READ ALL ARTICLES
Skindeep Healthy Living App

EWG research
on the go

Find personal care, cleaning, and food products on the EWG Healthy Living app.

DOWNLOAD THE APP