What do the Clean, Low, Watch and Swap levels mean?

They are cut from a continuous concern level the app computes from the sourced claims that the chosen evidence lens shows: each claim counts its concern class, tier weight, confidence and dose relevance, combined worst-first with a decay so one serious finding outweighs many small ones, then scaled by how much of the substance reaches you in this use. Clean is below 0.35, Low below 1.1, Watch below 2.0 and Swap above that, on a 0 to 3 scale.

Is Steareth-21 safe on skin (left on)?

Q: Is steareth-21 safe on skin (left on)?

Under the app's default Cautious lens, steareth-21 on skin (left on) rates Watch: worth watching; the app would list a cleaner alternative type. 1 sourced concern counts (oxidation by-products, consensus tier). This is research with sources, not medical advice.

Personal care1 use researched1 sourced claims

Where it turns up: emulsifier in creams and lotions. Detox My Life researched steareth-21 under one use, because the same substance means something different in each use. Every claim below carries its evidence tier, how sure the research is that it applies here, and the sources it cites. The level is computed by the app's own deterministic engine, so the page says exactly what the app would.

Level by use and lens

Use	Mainstream	Cautious (default)	Based	Concerns · favour · fringe
On skin, left on	Watch	Watch	Watch	1 · 0

Mainstream shows consensus claims only; Cautious adds emerging research; Based adds fringe claims, labelled as such. The last column counts, under Cautious, the sourced concerns, the findings in its favour and the fringe claims Based would add.

Safer swaps: the app's swap catalog covers the products this turns up in: Fragranced body lotion. Alternatives are always types, never brands.

On skin, left on Watch

Under the default Cautious lens steareth-21 on skin (left on) rates Watch: worth watching; the app would list a cleaner alternative type. Mainstream (consensus only) rates it Watch; Based (adds the fringe) rates it Watch. Researched 2026-09-03.

Sourced concerns (1)

ConsensusOxidation by-productsconfidence 100%

Steareth-21, an ethoxylated ingredient, may contain trace amounts of 1,4-dioxane, a toxic byproduct of the ethoxylation process, but this contamination is controlled through purification processes in cosmetic-grade ingredients to levels well below safety thresholds.

Why here: 1,4-dioxane is a known impurity in ethoxylated ingredients used in leave-on products, and its presence is a concern for dermal exposure.
What would have to be true: Dermal exposure from leave-on cosmetic products containing Steareth-21.
The other side: Modern cosmetic manufacturing employs vacuum stripping and rigorous testing to ensure 1,4-dioxane levels are well below safety thresholds set by regulatory bodies like the FDA and SCCS.

Sources the engine cites (no regulator, review or study among them):

2 web articles (atamanchemicals.com, sincereskincare.com), linked in the app.

Not researched here

The engine has no dossier for steareth-21 when cooked with heat, in cold food, as a finishing ingredient, in heated food packaging or other uses. The app researches an ingredient for the use it infers from your product, so a scan fills these in; this page only shows what has already been researched and source-verified.

This is research, not medical advice. Detox My Life shows sourced claims sorted by evidence tier. It does not diagnose, treat, or tell you to start or stop anything. Talk to a qualified professional about your health.

Scan your own. The app reads any product label with your camera, works out how you are about to use it, and researches every ingredient for that use with live sources. Every scan adds to a Detox Score for your home, where 50 is a typical home in your region, and a plan of next swaps.

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