The EWG Skin Deep database is the most comprehensive consumer tool for assessing personal care product safety. It rates over 90,000 products and covers 73,000+ cosmetic ingredients based on published toxicity data, regulatory agency assessments, and peer-reviewed research.
This guide walks you through how to actually use it — not just the basics, but how to interpret what you find, what the scores miss, and how to make better decisions about what goes on your body.
Step 1: Find Your Product
Go to ewg.org/skindeep and use the search bar at the top. You can search by:
- Product name: Type the product name directly. Include the brand for more accurate results ("Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion").
- Brand name: See all products from a specific brand.
- UPC barcode: For the most accurate match, search the exact barcode number from the package.
- App scanning: Download the EWG Healthy Living app (iOS and Android — free) and scan product barcodes in real time while shopping.
Step 2: Read the Overall Score
Each product gets a score from 1-10:
- 1-2 (Green / Low Hazard): Minimal concerns based on available data. The cleanest products in the database.
- 3-6 (Yellow / Moderate Hazard): Some ingredient concerns. Worth reviewing the specific flagged ingredients.
- 7-10 (Red / High Hazard): Significant ingredient concerns. Multiple high-hazard ingredients or one very serious one.
The overall score is useful for quick screening. Don't stop there — click through to see the ingredient-level detail.
Step 3: Read the Ingredient List
Click on a product to see its full ingredient breakdown. Each ingredient is rated individually:
- Green (1-2): Low hazard. Few or no concerns in available data.
- Yellow (3-6): Moderate concerns — may be a sensitizer, have limited safety data, or be restricted in some jurisdictions.
- Red (7-10): High hazard. Known or suspected carcinogen, endocrine disruptor, reproductive toxin, or developmental toxin.
A product with a score of 4 might have 19 green ingredients and one red one — worth knowing. Or it might have 10 yellow ingredients, suggesting a different concern pattern.
Step 4: Check the Concern Categories
For each flagged ingredient, EWG lists the specific concern types:
- Cancer: Known, probable, or possible carcinogen per IARC, NTP, or EPA classifications
- Developmental & Reproductive Toxicity: Evidence of harm to developing fetuses or reproductive function
- Endocrine Disruption: Interferes with hormonal signaling (parabens, phthalates, oxybenzone)
- Allergies & Immunotoxicity: Sensitizers and allergens including fragrance components
- Contamination Concerns: Ingredients that may be contaminated with carcinogens during manufacturing (1,4-dioxane in ethoxylated ingredients)
What EWG Skin Deep Gets Right — and Where It Falls Short
What It Gets Right
EWG synthesizes thousands of data points from regulatory agencies, peer-reviewed studies, and international toxicology databases into a format consumers can use. Without it, most people would have no practical way to assess ingredient safety. The database is free and continually updated. For screening purposes — quickly identifying which of your products to investigate further — it's excellent.
Where It Falls Short
EWG rates on hazard (intrinsic toxicity) rather than risk (exposure × hazard). An ingredient might have a high hazard score at high doses but be present in your product at trace concentrations that pose negligible actual risk. Some ingredients get elevated scores primarily due to data gaps — "limited data = higher score" can overstate risk.
Some cosmetic chemists and toxicologists argue that EWG's approach is overly precautionary, particularly for well-characterized preservatives. Use EWG as a starting point, especially for identifying the genuinely high-concern ingredients (formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, PFAS, certain parabens) rather than treating every yellow-rated ingredient as a definitive red flag.
Alternative Tools Worth Using Alongside EWG
- Think Dirty app: Similar product database with barcode scanning. Some consumers prefer its interface.
- CosDNA: Chemical-focused ingredient analysis tool used by cosmetic formulators. Useful for cross-referencing.
- INCI Decoder: Explains what each ingredient does — useful for understanding the function of flagged ingredients in your products.
- Campaign for Safe Cosmetics Compact Signers: Brands that have formally committed to phasing out chemicals restricted in the EU.
For the full context on which ingredients to prioritize avoiding, see our guide to toxic chemicals in personal care products. For baby products specifically, where the stakes are highest, see our complete non-toxic baby products guide.
The CPSC also maintains product safety resources for children's products that complement the EWG database for non-cosmetic baby items.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the EWG Skin Deep score mean?
EWG Skin Deep scores products on a 1-10 hazard scale. Scores 1-2 are low hazard (green). Scores 3-6 are moderate hazard (yellow). Scores 7-10 are high hazard (red). A low score doesn't guarantee a product is safe — it means fewer concerns based on current evidence.
Is EWG Skin Deep accurate and reliable?
EWG Skin Deep is a useful starting point with real limitations. It rates based on hazard rather than risk (exposure levels and dose). Some ingredients get elevated scores due to limited data rather than proven harm. Use it as a screening tool — check the ingredient-level concerns, not just the overall score.
How do I search EWG Skin Deep?
Go to ewg.org/skindeep and search by product name, brand, or UPC barcode. You can also download the EWG Healthy Living app and scan product barcodes for instant ratings. The database covers over 90,000 products.
What EWG score should I aim for?
Aim for products scoring 1-3. Scores of 1-2 are the cleanest in the database. Scores of 3-4 indicate minor concerns worth noting. Anything above 6 has significant ingredient concerns. For baby and children's products, aim for 1-2 only.