LINOLEIC ACID
Fragrance Ingredient; Hair Conditioning Agent; Skin-Conditioning Agent - Miscellaneous;Surfactant - Cleansing AgentSurfactant-Cleansing Agent is included as a function for the soap form of Linoleic Acid.; ANTISTATIC; EMOLLIENT; SKIN CONDITIONING
Also listed as
9,12-OCTADECADIENOIC ACID; 9,12-OCTADECADIENOIC ACID (9Z,12Z) -; 9,12OCTADECADIENOIC ACID (Z,Z) ; (Z,Z) -9,12-OCTADECADIENOIC ACID; 9,12-LINOLEIC ACID; 9,12-OCTADECADIENOIC ACID; CIS,CIS-9,12-OCTADECADIENOIC ACID; CIS-9,CIS-12-OCTADECADIENOIC ACID; EMERSOL 310; EMERSOL 315; LEINOLEIC ACID
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 moderate concerns for this ingredient: Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) |
 | Lesser or emerging concerns for this ingredient: Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Ecotoxicology, Data gaps |
|
See products containing LINOLEIC ACID | |
About LINOLEIC ACID: Linoleic Acid is the unsaturated fatty acid that conforms generally to the formula:
This ingredient may be derived from animals. From PETA's Caring Consumer: An essential fatty acid. Used in cosmetics, vitamins. Alternatives: vegetable-derived acids, soy lecithin, safflower oil, bitter almond oil, sunflower oil, etc.
LINOLEIC ACID has reported used in the following product types: facial moisturizer/treatment (141); anti-aging (113); conditioner (108); moisturizer (66); shampoo (64); around-eye cream (35); styling gel/lotion (27); sunscreen: SPF 15-30 (25); facial cleanser (23); mask (17)
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show broad systemic effects at moderate doses (low dose studies may be unavailable for this ingredient) | RTECS®- Yakugaku Zasshi 1984 | |
| show more | ||
Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show skin irritation at low doses | RTECS®- "Cutaneous Toxicity, Proceedings of the 3rd Conference, 1976," Drill, V 1977 |
Ecotoxicology
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List |
Data gaps
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Not assessed for safety in cosmetics by industry panel | ||
| 2,224 studies on toxicity in PubMed see search results -> | PubMed |
Multiple, additive exposure sources
| type of concern | product conditions | 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 |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | 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 Food Additive Status | LINOLEIC ACID | • NUTR/DS • GRAS (generally recognized as safe) - use in food presumed safe based either on a history of use before 1958 or on published scientific evidence; need not be approved by the FDA prior to use in food; most have not limit for use but must conform to good manufacturing practices; some GRAS substances have quantitative limit for use in foods; by definition under Sec 201(s) of FD&C Act, not food additives • Food additive: must be in accordance with good manufacturing practices, or sufficient for purpose; or in quantity not greater than required • Prepared from edible fats and oils and free from chick edema factor - CFR182.5065; 184.1065 |
| FDA Everything Added to Food | LINOLEIC ACID | • Fully up-to-date toxicology information has been sought. |
| Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List | 9,12-OCTADECADIENOIC ACID (Z,Z)- | •This chemical was NOT flagged by CEPA for further attention. The chemical was flagged as a low human health priority and for suspected aquatic toxicity. |
| IFRA Fragrance Ingredient List | 9,12-OCTADECADIENOIC ACID (Z,Z)- | •The chemical has been reported as used in fragrance compounds by IFRA affiliated member companies in 2008. |
| RTECS®- "Cutaneous Toxicity, Proceedings of the 3rd Conference, 1976," Drill, V 1977 | LINOLEIC ACID | • skin - Primary skin irritant ( human ) |
| RTECS®- Yakugaku Zasshi 1984 | LINOLEIC ACID | • broad systemic - Broad systemic toxicity (mouse LD50) |
references
| government/industry list/academic study | reference |
| FDA Food Additive Status | 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 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. |
| Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List | EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry. |
| IFRA Fragrance Ingredient List | IFRA (International Fragrance Assocication). 2010. IFRA Fragrance Ingredient List based on 2008 Use Survey. Accessed online 01/04/2010: http://www.ifraorg.org/Home/News/Latest-News/page.aspx/66?xf_itemId=43&xf_selectionDatapartId=25 |
| RTECS®- "Cutaneous Toxicity, Proceedings of the 3rd Conference, 1976," Drill, V 1977 | RTECS®- "Cutaneous Toxicity, Proceedings of the 3rd Conference, 1976," Drill, V.A., and P. Lazar, eds., New York, Academic Press, Inc. 1977 -,127,1977 |
| RTECS®- Yakugaku Zasshi 1984 | RTECS®- Yakugaku Zasshi. Journal of Pharmacy. (Nippon Yakugakkai, 2-12-15 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150, Japan) No.1- 1881- 104,793,1984 |
"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
All rights reserved.
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