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Data: Fair

Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose

Other Concerns


SYNONYMS

2-HYDROXYPROPYL METHYL ETHER CELLULOSE, CARBOHYDRATE GUM, CELLULOSE, 2-HYDROXYPROPYL METHYL ETHER, CELLULOSE, 2HYDROXYPROPYL METHYL ETHER, HYDROXYPROPYL METHYCELLULOSE, HYDROXYPROPYL METHYLCELLULOSE, HYDROXYPROPYL METHYLCELLULOSE 2208, HYDROXYPROPYL METHYLCELLULOSE 2906, HYDROXYPROPYL METHYLCELLULOSE 2910, HYPROMELLOSE, and METHYL HYDROXYPROPYL CELLULOSE

Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose is a semisynthetic polymer based on cellulose.

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

body wash/cleanser 83 products
shampoo 81 products
liquid hand soap 46 products
recreational sunscreen 32 products
facial cleanser 30 products
shaving cream 23 products
mask 17 products
conditioner 16 products
hand sanitizer 13 products
toothpaste 12 products
facial moisturizer/treatment 11 products
baby sunscreen 9 products
moisturizer 8 products
exfoliant/scrub 8 products
hair treatment/serum 8 products
serums & essences 7 products
around-eye cream 5 products
antiperspirant/deodorant 5 products
bath oil/salts/soak 5 products
daily use with SPF 4 products
hand cream 4 products
eye shadow 4 products
bubble bath 4 products
makeup primer 3 products
sunless tanning 3 products
foot moisturizer 3 products
bar soap 2 products
lip gloss 2 products
bronzer/highlighter 2 products
2 products
tooth whitening 2 products
body oil 2 products
styling mousse/foam 2 products
shaving cream (men's) 2 products
baby oil 1 products
hair styling aide 1 products
muscle/joint soreness 1 products
beard care 1 products
beard cleanser 1 products
facial powder 1 products
body powder 1 products
foot cleansing 1 products
styling gel/lotion 1 products
body firming lotion 1 products
nail treatment 1 products
anti-aging 1 products
toners/astringents 1 products
hair color and bleaching 1 products
brow liner 1 products

Data gaps

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 product Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
2371 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical NLM PubMed

Multiple, additive exposure sources

CONCERN REFERENCE
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food FDA Food Additive Status
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food FDA Everything Added to Food

Ecotoxicology

CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxin Environment Canada Domestic Substance List

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful Environment Canada Domestic Substance List
Classified as a low human health priority Environment Canada Domestic Substance List

Informational

CONCERN REFERENCE
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - any Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
  • CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC.
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
  • FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) 2006. Food Additive Status List. Downloaded from http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/%7Edms/opa-appa.html, Oct 16, 2006.
  • FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). 2008. EAFUS [Everything Added to Food]: A Food Additive Database. FDA Office of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.

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.

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

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Hydroxypropyl Methyl Cellulose