Melting Pearls Body Butter

Why it's rated this way

3 ingredients on this label are flagged. A cosmetic's rating is set by its most serious finding — here, Sodium Hydroxide.

1. Sodium HydroxideMinor concernAlkali (lye). It is used up in the product: as a pH adjuster it neutralises an acid in the formula, and in soap it turns the oils into soap. The EU caps the alkalinity it may leave (pH 11 for pH-adjuster use); the higher limits, with warnings, are only for hair straighteners, cuticle removers and depilatories.

   What it is

   Its recorded role: buffering and denaturant. About Sodium Hydroxide

   Why it's flagged

   Alkali (lye). It is used up in the product: as a pH adjuster it neutralises an acid in the formula, and in soap it turns the oils into soap. The EU caps the alkalinity it may leave (pH 11 for pH-adjuster use); the higher limits, with warnings, are only for hair straighteners, cuticle removers and depilatories.

   Regulatory basis

   EU Cosmetics Regulation, Annex III — allowed only within set limits and conditions; Greenveil's curated cosmetic-ingredient concern list.

   How sure we are

   High confidence. The label names this substance exactly.

2. Ci 77891Minor concernPermitted white pigment and UV filter. Inhaled titanium dioxide powder is a suspected carcinogen, so the EU restricts it in loose face powders and hair sprays and bars it from any product that could be breathed in; in creams, toothpaste and other non-sprayed products those limits do not come into play.

   What it is

   Its recorded role: uv filter and uv absorber. About Ci 77891

   Why it's flagged

   Permitted white pigment and UV filter. Inhaled titanium dioxide powder is a suspected carcinogen, so the EU restricts it in loose face powders and hair sprays and bars it from any product that could be breathed in; in creams, toothpaste and other non-sprayed products those limits do not come into play.

   Regulatory basis

   EU Cosmetics Regulation, Annex III — allowed only within set limits and conditions; Greenveil's curated cosmetic-ingredient concern list.

   How sure we are

   High confidence. The label names this substance exactly.

3. PetrolatumMinor concernCosmetic-grade petrolatum is highly refined. The EU prohibits petrolatum only when its full refining history is not known and it cannot be shown to be free of carcinogenic impurities.

   What it is

   Its recorded role: uv absorber and moisturising. About Petrolatum

   Why it's flagged

   Cosmetic-grade petrolatum is highly refined. The EU prohibits petrolatum only when its full refining history is not known and it cannot be shown to be free of carcinogenic impurities.

   Regulatory basis

   EU Cosmetics Regulation, Annex II — substances prohibited in cosmetics; EU classification as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction; Greenveil's curated cosmetic-ingredient concern list. The listing applies only under conditions a label can't show (product type, concentration or use).

   How sure we are

   High confidence. The label names this substance exactly; whether the conditions apply depends on the product's formula.

Assessed against the label as captured: all 32 ingredients recognised.