Don’t take our word for it. Here’s every fact on this site, with its evidence grade, its caveats, and a link to the source, so you can check us.
We start you on the strong ones: findings that have been replicated or come from one large, well-controlled study. Moderate and weak facts are here too, labeled for what they are. Use “Link to this fact” to share a single card.
Hidden ingredients / Measured in people or real products
Acetaldehyde, a possible human carcinogen (IARC Group 2B), was released by 23 of 42 baby products and was never listed on any label.
Weak evidence: Not quantified; may partly form during 40 C incubation.
Source: Nematollahi 2018, Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health Link to this fact
Hidden ingredients / Other evidence
In 2006 EWG stated that 'the government cannot mandate safety studies of cosmetics, and as a result 89 percent of the ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products have not been adequately assessed for safety,' and described its Skin Deep database as covering 25,000 products.
Weak evidence.
Caveats
An advocacy organization's own unreferenced statistic; the report gives no method or definition of 'adequately assessed', so it should be cited as EWG's claim, not as an established fact.
Source: EWG 2006 Annual Report, EWG annual report (PDF) Link to this fact
Hidden ingredients / Other evidence
GOTS 8.1's list of prohibited hazard statements for general chemical inputs covers carcinogens, mutagens, reproductive toxicants, organ toxicants, and endocrine disruptors but, as printed, not skin (H317) or respiratory (H334) sensitizers, so sensitizing chemicals are only banned by name for dyes.
Weak evidence: Reading of the printed list; other GOTS documents may add restrictions, and certification relies on approved inputs, not this list alone.
Source: GOTS 8.1 (2026) Link to this fact
Hidden ingredients / Other evidence
EWG's own analysis of over 4,000 personal care products found that undisclosed 'fragrance' appeared in 6.4 percentage points more products marketed to Black women than in EWG's 2016 report, which it says equals hundreds more products.
Weak evidence: Advocacy-NGO analysis of its own database, not peer reviewed; the news page gives no statistics or product-selection method.
Source: EWG 2025 (Friedman & Huang), EWG news (web page) Link to this fact
Hidden ingredients / Other evidence
Several store-brand and name-brand antibacterial bandages (including Care Band, Curad, CVS, Equate, Top Care, Up & Up, Urgo, Walgreens) and Hansaplast wound spray are reported to contain benzalkonium chloride.
Weak evidence: Brand list is the authors' and reflects 2018; formulations change.
Hidden ingredients / Other evidence
A commercial product database (SkinSAFE) lists 10,998 skin care products containing benzalkonium chloride or a related quaternary ammonium compound such as benzethonium chloride, all liquids such as moisturizers, liquid soaps, shampoos and conditioners.
Weak evidence: Authors' relay of one commercial database; not independently counted; product list not given.
Source: [[src-2018-trends-patch-testing-mayo-clinic-standard-series|Veverka 2018]], Dermatitis® Link to this fact
Hidden ingredients / Other evidence
The only fragrance-solvent marker in this study, urinary MEP (from diethyl phthalate), was folded into a five-metabolite 'personal care product' phthalate sum that was not significantly associated with ADHD-type behavior overall (RR 1.16, 0.98-1.37).
Weak evidence.
Caveats
The sum is dominated by dibutyl-type metabolites; MEP was not analyzed alone in the PDF; hyperactivity subset 1.25 (1.07-1.47) was nominally significant; cannot separate DEP from the fragrance mixture it rides in.
Hidden ingredients / Other evidence
Pools and wastewater treatment can chlorinate or brominate phenolic personal-care ingredients such as parabens, bisphenols and UV filters, creating derivatives that are not on any label; the authors call for toxicity work on these emerging products.
Weak evidence: The paper tested lab-made derivatives and cites environmental and urine levels from the authors' own earlier review; it did not measure any in consumer products.
Information, not medical advice. See also: myths we won’t tell you.