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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED®

Data: Fair

Ceteareth 20

  • 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 products that may not meet industry safety guidelines or U.S. and international government requirements and may have contamination concerns from toxic impurities. The score will be lower if used in products that do meet these safety guidelines and requirements and EWG’s contamination restrictions.

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Other Concerns

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

SYNONYMS

● CETEARETH-20
● POLYOXYETHYLENE (20) CETYL/STEARYL ETHER
● POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 1000 CETYL/STEARYL ETHER
● PEG-20 CETYL/STEARYL ETHER
● PEG-20 CETOSTEARYL ALCOHOL

Restricted

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

Ceteareth-20 is the polyethylene glycol ether of cetearyl alcohol; may contain potentially toxic impurities such as 1,4-dioxane.

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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anti-aging21 products
body firming lotion77 products
facial moisturizer/treatment184 products
conditioner219 products
styling gel/lotion94 products
foot moisturizer21 products
exfoliant/scrub75 products
mask93 products
sunless tanning35 products
hand cream55 products
facial cleanser62 products
hair styling aid176 products
moisturizer415 products
mascara30 products
makeup remover46 products
shampoo21 products
hair color and bleaching365 products
nail treatment4 products
skin fading/lightener8 products
depilatory46 products
bar soap9 products
hair relaxer10 products
hair treatment/serum103 products
detangler19 products
eye makeup remover4 products
Exfoliants4 products
around-eye cream21 products
brow liner4 products
body wash/cleanser9 products
bronzer/highlighter21 products
baby wipes10 products
hand sanitizer5 products
Bath and Body Wipes9 products
hair-loss treatment2 products
Other Hair Care Preparations1 products
mouthwash1 products
setting powder/spray2 products
hair removal waxes1 products
damaged skin treatment4 products
depilatory (men's)2 products
Preshave Preparations1 products
shaving cream (men's)1 products
baby lotion17 products
daily use with SPF23 products
BB cream8 products
serums & essences22 products
beard care12 products
lipstick20 products
toners/astringents4 products
makeup primer3 products
foot cleansing2 products
beard oil2 products
styling mousse/foam4 products
lip balm6 products
beard cleanser1 products
body spray1 products
foundation29 products
muscle/joint soreness9 products
baby oil4 products
lip gloss14 products
recreational sunscreen18 products
Lip Stain3 products
after shave2 products
shaving cream7 products
hair spray9 products
concealer3 products
antiperspirant/deodorant10 products
tanning oil1 products
Wipes5 products
cuticle treatment1 products
baby sunscreen1 products
fragrance for women3 products
facial powder6 products
Oils & Serums1 products
Putties, Puddings & Clays2 products
eye shadow5 products
Dry Shampoo and Hair Powders1 products
blush5 products

Contamination concerns

Expand content Collapse content
Chemical
ETHYLENE OXIDE
1,4-DIOXANE

Enhanced skin absorption

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Penetration enhancerCosmetic 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)

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
skin/eye/lung irritation - weight of evidence unknown/unassessedCosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR)

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
  • 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.

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