“PHENOXYETHANOL?”Here!
Appears in 3 scanned products.
In personal care
An ether alcohol used widely as a preservative, occurring in trace amounts in nature (green tea, for instance) but produced synthetically for cosmetic use.
Why it’s used
Prevents the growth of bacteria, yeast, and mold in water-containing formulas, extending shelf life and protecting the product and the user from contamination.
What the evidence says
The SCCS and CIR consider phenoxyethanol safe at concentrations up to 1 percent, the limit set in the EU and widely followed elsewhere. Concerns raised in some consumer discourse about infant exposure stemmed from a 2008 French health agency caution for products used on the diaper area of infants; subsequent reviews, including by the SCCS, reaffirmed the 1 percent limit as safe across ages.
Context
The 1 percent concentration cap is the key context: safety assessments are tied to that limit, and it applies in both rinse-off and leave-on products.
Rumors
Phenoxyethanol depresses the nervous system in infants.
We haven’t found evidence strong enough to support this or rule it out.
What was measured is not yet noted.
Who’s saying this
- Campaign for Safe Cosmetics — an advocacy group: campaigns for safer cosmetics; program of Breast Cancer Prevention Partners
How we know who this is
- “The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) leads the movement to make beauty and personal care products safer for all.” (their page)
- “CSC is a program of Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP) , a national science-based advocacy organization working to prevent breast cancer by eliminating environmental exposures linked to the disease.” (their page)
- Campaign for Safe Cosmetics — an advocacy group: campaigns for safer cosmetics; program of Breast Cancer Prevention Partners
Where it shows up
- Dr. Scholl's Severe Cracked Heel Repair Restoring Balm
- PRO-V BLENDS ROSE WATER SULFATE FREE CONDITIONER
and 1 more product