DIHYDROXYACETONE
Colorant; Skin-Conditioning Agent - Miscellaneous; REDUCING; SKIN CONDITIONING; TANNING
Also listed as
1,3-DIHYDROXYDIMETHYL KETONE; 1,3-DIHYDROXY-2-PROPANONE; 2-PROPANONE, 1,3-DIHYDROXY; 1,3-DIHYDROXY 2-PROPANONE; 1,3-DIHYDROXYACETONE; 2PROPANONE, 1,3DIHYDROXY; DIHYDROXYACETONE; 1,3-DIHYDROXY-2-PROPANONE; 1,3-DIHYDROXYACETONE; 1,3-DIHYDROXYPROPANONE; CHROMELIN; DIHYXAL
Given the incomplete information made available by companies and the government, EWG provides additional information on personal care product ingredients from the published scientific literature. The chart below indicates that research studies have found that exposure to this ingredient -- not the products containing it -- caused the indicated health effect(s) in the studies reviewed by Skin Deep researchers. Actual health risks, if any, will vary based on the level of exposure to the ingredient and individual susceptibility -- information not available in Skin Deep.
| This ingredient: | |
 | Cancer |
 | Developmental/reproductive toxicity |
 | Violations, restrictions & warnings |
| Allergies/immunotoxicity |
| Contamination concerns |
| Other strong concerns for this ingredient: Multiple, additive exposure sources |
| Lesser or emerging concerns for this ingredient: Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive) |
|
See products containing DIHYDROXYACETONE | |
About DIHYDROXYACETONE: Dihydroxyacetone is the aliphatic ketone. See "Regulatory and Ingredient Use Information," for Colorants in Volume 1, Introduction, Part A. To identify the colorant meeting the requirements for labeling purposes in the US, the INCI Name Dihydroxyacetone must be used.
This ingredient may be derived from animals. From PETA's Caring Consumer: Pigments from animal, plant, and synthetic sources used to color foods, cosmetics, and other products. Cochineal is from insects. Widely used FD&C and D&C colors are coaltar (bituminous coal) derivatives that are continously tested on animals due to their carcinogenic properties. Alternatives: grapes, beets, turmeric, saffron, carrots, chlorophyll, annatto, alkanet.
DIHYDROXYACETONE has reported used in the following product types: sunless tanning (381); moisturizer (64); facial moisturizer/treatment (34); sunscreen: SPF 15-30 (19); bronzer/highlighter (13); sunscreen: moisturizer (13); sunscreen: SPF less than 15 (11); body firming lotion (10); anti-aging (6); sunscreen: makeup (4)
Violations, restrictions & warnings
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Violation of government restrictions - Restricted in cosmetics; use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Color additive not approved by FDA for cosmetics used around eyes | products for use around the eyes | FDA Color Additive Status |
Multiple, additive exposure sources
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Used in food or as an additive with limited or no toxicity information available | FDA Everything Added to Food |
Cancer
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more in vitro tests on mammalian cells show positive mutation results | RTECS®- Mutation Research 2004 | |
| show more | ||
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show broad systemic effects at high doses (low dose studies may be unavailable for this ingredient) | RTECS®- United States Patent Document 9795 | |
| show more | ||
Data gaps
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| 312 studies on toxicity in PubMed see search results -> | PubMed |
Ecotoxicology
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Not suspected to be persistent | Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List | |
| show more | ||
Government, industry, academic studies and classifications
| government/industry list/academic study | appears on list as | classification(s) |
| FDA Color Additive Status | DIHYDROXYACETONE | •Color additive approved by FDA for use in cosmetics •Color additive not approved by FDA for cosmetics used around eyes |
| FDA Everything Added to Food | DIHYDROXYACETONE (MONOMER) | • There is reported use of the substance, but it has not yet been assigned for toxicology literature search. |
| FDA Everything Added to Food | DIHYDROXYACETONE (DIMER) | • There is reported use of the substance, but it has not yet been assigned for toxicology literature search. |
| CTFA International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook | DIHYDROXYACETONE | •Color Additives - Exempt from Batch Certification by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration |
| Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List | 2-PROPANONE, 1,3-DIHYDROXY- | •This chemical was NOT flagged by CEPA for further attention. |
| Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics | DIHYDROXYACETONE | • o |
| RTECS®- Agricultural and Biological Chemistry 1983 | DIHYDROXYACETONE | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Mutation in Micro-organism (Salmonella typhimurium ) |
| RTECS®- Agricultural and Biological Chemistry 1983 | DIHYDROXYACETONE | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Mutation in Micro-organism (Salmonella typhimurium ) |
| RTECS®- Journal of Environmental Pathology and Toxicology 1979 | DIHYDROXYACETONE | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Mutation in Micro-organism (Salmonella typhimurium ) • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: DNA repair (Bacillus subtilis ) |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 1988 | DIHYDROXYACETONE | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: other mutation test systems (Escherichia coli ) |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 1996 | DIHYDROXYACETONE | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Mutation in Micro-organism (Salmonella typhimurium ) |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 2004 | DIHYDROXYACETONE | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: DNA Damage ( human oth) • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Morphological Transform ( human oth) |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 1988 | DIHYDROXYACETONE | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: other mutation test systems (Escherichia coli ) |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 1996 | DIHYDROXYACETONE | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Mutation in Micro-organism (Salmonella typhimurium ) |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 2004 | DIHYDROXYACETONE | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: DNA Damage ( human oth) • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Morphological Transform ( human oth) |
| RTECS®- United States Patent Document 9795 | DIHYDROXYACETONE | • broad systemic - Broad systemic toxicity (rat LD50) |
references
| government/industry list/academic study | reference |
| FDA Color Additive Status | FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) 2006. Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Color Additive Status List. September 2006. |
| FDA Everything Added to Food | 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. |
| CTFA International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook | CTFA (Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association). 2006. International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook, 11th Edition. Color Additive Information. Washington, DC. |
| Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List | EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry. |
| Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics | AOEC (Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics). 2009. AEOC exposures codes and asthmagen designation. |
| RTECS®- Agricultural and Biological Chemistry 1983 | RTECS®- Agricultural and Biological Chemistry. (Maruzen Co. Ltd., POB 5050, Tokyo International, Tokyo 100-31, Japan) V.25- 1961- 47,2461,1983 |
| RTECS®- Agricultural and Biological Chemistry 1983 | RTECS®- Agricultural and Biological Chemistry. (Maruzen Co. Ltd., POB 5050, Tokyo International, Tokyo 100-31, Japan) V.25- 47,2461,1983 |
| RTECS®- Journal of Environmental Pathology and Toxicology 1979 | RTECS®- Journal of Environmental Pathology and Toxicology. (Park Forest South, IL) V.1-5(3), 1977-81(?). For publisher information, see JEPOEC. 3(1-2),227,1979 |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 1988 | RTECS®- Mutation Research. (Elsevier Science Pub. B.V., POB 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands) V.1- 203,81,1988 |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 1996 | RTECS®- Mutation Research. (Elsevier Science Pub. B.V., POB 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands) V.1- 361,41,1996 |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 2004 | RTECS®- Mutation Research. (Elsevier Science Pub. B.V., POB 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands) V.1- 560,173,2004 |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 1988 | RTECS®- Mutation Research. (Elsevier Science Pub. B.V., POB 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands) V.1- -1964 203,81,1988 |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 1996 | RTECS®- Mutation Research. (Elsevier Science Pub. B.V., POB 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands) V.1- -1964 361,41,1996 |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 2004 | RTECS®- Mutation Research. (Elsevier Science Pub. B.V., POB 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands) V.1- -1964 560,173,2004 |
| RTECS®- United States Patent Document 9795 | RTECS®- United States Patent Document. (U.S. Patent Office, Box 9, Washington, DC 20231) #4049795 |
"RTECS®" is a United States trademark owned and licensed under authority of the U.S. Government, by and through MDL Information Systems, Inc.
Copyright © 2010 by Environmental Working Group
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