Independent breakdown
EWG Skin Deep
Limited valueTechnology: Online ingredient hazard database — 1–10 hazard score across 70,000+ products
Plain English verdict
The Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database rates over 70,000 cosmetic products on a 1–10 hazard scale. Like Think Dirty, it uses hazard-based rather than risk-based assessment, without accounting for concentration or exposure context. The EWG is an advocacy organisation, not a scientific body, and its ratings are systematically more conservative than regulatory consensus — they frequently contradict positions held by the FDA, EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS), and AAD. Useful as a large ingredient lookup; not reliable as a safety authority. The scoring methodology has been publicly criticised by toxicologists and dermatologists for creating unwarranted concern.
Worth it if you want
- +Cross-referencing ingredient names across a large product database
- +Learning which ingredients are under active regulatory review
Not worth it if
- −Risk-based safety assessment at realistic use concentrations
- −Making decisions based on the 1–10 score as a safety signal