Safer Chemical Ingredients List Expanded with the Addition of 22 Chemicals

In August 2022, 22 chemical substances were added to the Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL) by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Intended to facilitate the use of safer chemical alternatives in products, the list has grown steadily over the last several years. In this blog post, we discuss the list and review the recent additions.

Safer Chemical Ingredients List

Established and reviewed in conjunction with the EPA's Safer Choice Program, the SCIL is a list of chemical ingredients determined by the Program to be safer than most other more traditional chemical ingredients. A highly useful tool with diverse applications, it is used extensively by chemical and product manufacturers, retailers, health and safety professionals, and a host of other stakeholders.

The SCIL is grouped by functional class, with the chemicals on it generally considered among the safest for their use:

  • Antimicrobial Actives
  • Chelating Agents
  • Colorants
  • Defoamers
  • Emollients
  • Enzymes and Enzyme Stabilizers
  • Fragrances
  • Oxidants and Oxidant Stabilizers
  • Polymers
  • Preservatives and Antioxidants
  • Processing Aids and Additives
  • Skin Conditioning Agents
  • Solvents
  • Specialized Industrial Chemicals
  • Surfactants
  • Uncategorized

Substances added to the SCIL list are marked with a colored symbol conveying, among other things, the relative level of concern associated with the chemical. These include a green circle, green half-circle, yellow triangle, and gray square.

  • Green circle
    • The chemical substance has been designated as being of low concern, based upon modeled and experimental data.
  • Green half-circle
    • There is an expectation that the chemical substance is of low concern, based upon modeled and experimental data.
  • Yellow triangle
    • The chemical substance has been designated as meeting Safer Choice Criteria relative to its functional ingredient-class, but some hazard profile issues exist.
  • Gray square
    • The chemical substance may be unacceptable for use in candidate products for the Safer Choice label, and reformulation may be necessary.

Recent Additions to the SCIL

The 22 chemicals that were recently added to the SCIL are shown in the table below:

Substance NameCAS Registry Number
Siloxanes and Silicones, Et Me, Me 2-phenylpropyl68037-77-4
.beta.-Cyclodextrin, 2-hydroxypropyl ethers128446-35-5
Deoxyribonuclease9003-98-9
Phosphonic acid, P,P',P'',P'''-[[(phosphonomethyl)imino]bis[2,1-ethanediylnitrilobis(methylene)]]tetrakis-15827-60-8
Amylopectin, hydrogen 2-(1-octen-1-yl)butanedioate125109-81-1
1,6-Hexanediol629-11-8
9-Octadecenoic acid (9Z)-, 1,1',1''-(1,2,3-propanetriyl) ester122-32-7
Glycerides, C14-22 and C16-22-unsatd.68424-59-9
Fatty acids, C18-unsatd., dimers, hydrogenated, di-iso-Pr esters103213-20-3
9-Octadecenoic acid (9Z)-, 3-hydroxy-2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)propyl ester10332-32-8
Octadecanoic acid, butyl ester123-95-5
Decanoic acid, mixed diesters with octanoic acid and propylene glycol68583-51-7
Butanedioic acid, 1,4-bis(2-methylpropyl) ester925-06-4
Pentanedioic acid, 1,5-bis(2-methylpropyl) ester71195-64-7
Decanedioic acid, 1,10-diethyl ester110-40-7
3,6,9,12,15,18,21-Heptaoxatritriacontan-1-ol3055-97-8
Fatty acids, C8-1068937-75-7
Octadecanoic acid, 2-sulfo-, 1-methyl ester, sodium salt (1:1)4062-78-6
3,6,9,12-Tetraoxatetracosan-1-ol5274-68-0
Nonanoic acid, sulfophenyl ester, sodium salt (1:1)91125-43-8
1-Propanaminium, N-(carboxymethyl)-N,N-dimethyl-3-[(1-oxohexadecyl)amino]-, inner salt32954-43-1
Coconut oil, ethoxylated67762-35-0

Source: Environmental Protection Agency

With the latest additions, the SCIL list contains 1,055 chemical substances.

Learn More

A complete listing of all substances on the Safer Chemical Ingredients List can be found on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website.

For more information on these chemicals, and to access detailed data on an abundance of others, contact ToxPlanet and register for a Free Trial.