We Scored 12,000 Beauty Products by Ingredient Safety — Here's What We Found
The Numbers
We scored 11,995 cosmetics, skincare, haircare, and beauty products using ingredient safety data from the EU CosIng database and CIR safety assessments. Each ingredient was rated on a 1-10 hazard scale. Each product got an overall safety score based on its full ingredient list.
Here's what the data shows.
84% of Products Contain At Least One Flagged Ingredient
Out of 11,995 products analyzed, 10,087 contain at least one ingredient flagged for health concerns — irritants, endocrine disruptors, carcinogens, allergens, or environmental toxins.
That's not 84% of cheap drugstore products. That's 84% of everything — luxury brands, "clean" brands, dermatologist-recommended brands. The industry-wide average safety score is 7.9/10, which sounds decent until you realize that means nearly every product has something worth paying attention to.
The #1 Offender: Fragrance
Fragrance appears in 8,643 of 11,995 products (72%). It's the single most common flagged ingredient in our database.
The problem isn't the word "fragrance" itself — it's that the term hides potentially dozens of undisclosed chemicals. The EU mandates labeling of 26 specific fragrance allergens, but in the US, companies can list "fragrance" without revealing what's in it.
Our hazard score for fragrance: 6/10 (irritant + allergen).
The Worst Categories
Not all product types are equal. Some categories consistently score worse:
| Category | Average Safety Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Fragrance/Perfume | 6.2/10 | Concentrated fragrance chemicals |
| Nail Products | 6.7/10 | Solvents, formaldehyde, toluene |
| Body Care | 7.5/10 | Heavy on fragrance + preservatives |
| Makeup | 7.5/10 | Color additives + preservatives |
| Lip Products | 7.7/10 | Ingestion risk + colorants |
The safest category? Skincare serums (8.4/10) — likely because consumers in this category actively seek "clean" formulations.
The Most Common Concerning Ingredients
| Ingredient | Found in | Hazard Score | Primary Concern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fragrance/Parfum | 8,643 products | 6/10 | Irritant, allergen |
| Alcohol Denat. | 5,786 products | 4/10 | Irritant (strips skin barrier) |
| Sodium Laureth Sulfate | 2,115 products | 4/10 | Irritant |
| Polyethylene (microplastics) | 1,441 products | 5/10 | Environmental |
| Methylisothiazolinone | 952 products | 7/10 | Allergen, irritant |
| Sodium Lauryl Sulfate | 755 products | 5/10 | Irritant |
| BHT | 745 products | 4/10 | Endocrine disruptor |
| Methylparaben | 510 products | 5/10 | Endocrine disruptor |
What This Means for Consumers
The data doesn't mean 84% of beauty products are "dangerous." Most flagged ingredients are low-to-moderate risk — irritants that bother some people, or environmental concerns rather than acute health risks.
But for specific groups — people with sensitive skin, those who are pregnant, anyone with allergies — knowing what's in your products isn't optional. Our scoring system helps identify which products score highest for these specific concerns.
Methodology
- Data source: Open Beauty Facts (product data) + EU CosIng database (ingredient safety status) + CIR safety assessments
- Scoring: Position-weighted hazard average (ingredients listed first = higher concentration = more weight)
- Scale: 1 (most hazardous) to 10 (safest)
- Flagging threshold: Ingredients scoring 3+ on hazard scale with known concerns
All product scores are available free at cosmeticranked.com.
Bottom Line
The beauty industry has a transparency problem. The data is clear: most products contain ingredients that regulatory bodies have flagged for one concern or another. That doesn't make them all unsafe — but it does mean consumers deserve easy access to this information.
That's why we built CosmeticRanked — to take 30,000+ pages of EU regulatory data and make it searchable in seconds. Check your products at cosmeticranked.com.
Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only. Safety scores are algorithmic assessments based on published research and regulatory data — not medical advice. Consult a dermatologist for personalized skincare guidance.