red
Retinol
Avoid topical retinoids during pregnancy — vitamin A teratogenicity.
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granactive retinoid 2% emulsion
Is the ordinary granactive retinoid 2% emulsion low tox? Our scanner flagged 6 ingredients (1 in the avoid tier, 5 caution) on its published label, screened against our 237 source-cited chemical rules.
1 avoid5 caution
6 ingredients flagged
What we flagged
amber
Ceteareth - 12
Manufacturing process can leave 1,4-dioxane (probable carcinogen) and ethylene oxide as contaminants. Look for 'vacuum-stripped' products.
amber
Carrageenan
Gut inflammation concerns; contested in research literature but worth a trial of avoidance for IBS.
amber
Behentrimonium Chloride
Documented respiratory and skin sensitiser. Common MCAS and asthma trigger.
Svanes et al. Bergen Respiratory Health Study, Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2018
amber
Disodium EDTA
Chelating agent — generally tolerated but documented MCAS trigger in case reports.
amber
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative — generally well-tolerated but documented as MCAS and contact-dermatitis trigger in sensitive individuals.
Full ingredients (from label)
Ingredients/ Ingrédients: AQUA (WATER)GLYCERINETHYL LINOLEATE. PROPANEDIOL CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE. DIMETHYL ISOSORBIDECETEARYL ISONONANOATEBISABOLOL. HYDROXYPINACOLONE RETINOATE. RETINOLTASMANNIA LANCEOLATA FRUIT/LEAF EXTRACTINULIN LAURYL CARBAMATEGLYCERYL STEARATECETEARETH - 12. CETEARETH-20CETEARYL ALCOHOLCARRAGEENANXANTHAN GUMACACIA SENEGAL GUMCETYL PALMITATESUCROSE LAURATEPOLYSORBATE 20ISOCETETH-20BEHENTRIMONIUM CHLORIDETRISODIUM ETHYLENEDIAMINE DISUCCINATE. DISODIUM EDTADEHYDROACETIC ACIDBENZOIC ACIDETHYLHEXYLGLYCERINPHENOXYETHANOLCHLORPHENESIN.
How this analysis is generated
Each ingredient on this product's published label is matched against our 237 source-cited chemical rules, each documenting a concern from peer-reviewed research and regulatory sources. Severity tiers:
- Avoid (red) — banned or restricted in the EU, UK or Canada but still legal in the US, IARC-listed, or strong contact-allergen evidence.
- Caution (amber) — regulatory caution, contamination risk, or condition-specific irritant.
- Mild (green) — low concern but commonly avoided in low-tox formulations.
Each flag links to its primary chemical-level source, and each condition pill links to a PubMed-indexed paper that discusses the chemical class in the context of that condition. Every citation is a real peer-reviewed paper — we don't link to Wikipedia or PubMed search pages. Some pairs use a topically-broad paper (e.g. a fragrance-allergen patch-test review) rather than a single-pair study where the literature is thin. The full evidence chain (chemical → mechanism → condition → paper) is one click away.
This is automated analysis of a published label, not medical advice — always verify the label yourself before changing products. Methodology and source list at scan.lowtoxgear.com.