Beauty ingredient · Emulsifier / solubilizer
Polysorbates (cosmetic)
Ethoxylated sorbitan esters used to dissolve oils and fragrances in water.
- Ethoxylated ingredient
- Expert review pending
Concern level
A minor or very limited concern, such as being an ultra-processing marker only. The concern level sets how many points polysorbates (cosmetic) costs on a product’s receipt.
What the evidence says
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May contain 1,4-dioxaneStrong evidence
Ethoxylated ingredients can carry trace 1,4-dioxane from manufacturing. [1]
Evidence tiers say how sure the evidence is, separately from how much it matters. About evidence tiers.
Popular products that list polysorbates (cosmetic)
7 of the 17,000 most-scanned products in the US with a GoodSwap page list polysorbates (cosmetic).
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Daily Moisturizing Lotion CeraVe · 237 mL Score 92 out of 100 Excellent -
Moisturing Lotion CeraVe Score 92 out of 100 Excellent -
Breath strips Listerine · 72 Score 92 out of 100 Excellent -
Hydrating Facial Cleanser CeraVe Score 91 out of 100 Excellent -
Hydrating Facial Cleanser CeraVe Score 96 out of 100 Excellent -
Hydrating mineral sunscreen spf50 CeraVe · 75 mL Score 96 out of 100 Excellent -
Working Hands Hand Cream O’Keeffe’s · 2.7 oz Score 86 out of 100 Excellent
Names GoodSwap recognizes on labels (7)
- polysorbate
- polysorbate 20
- polysorbate 40
- polysorbate 60
- polysorbate 80
- polysorbate 85
- polysorbates cosmetic
Sources
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1,4-Dioxane in Cosmetics: A Manufacturing Byproduct
“1,4-dioxane forms as a byproduct during the manufacturing process of certain cosmetic ingredients.”
fda.gov