What Does EWG's Skin Deep Database Mean for Your Kid's Shampoo?

You've Seen "EWG Verified" on Labels — But What Does It Actually Mean?

If you've spent any time in the clean beauty aisle (or fallen down a parenting blog rabbit hole at midnight), you've probably encountered references to the EWG. Maybe you've seen their green checkmark on a product, or a brand claiming an "EWG score of 1." It sounds good. But what does it actually mean? And more importantly, how do you use it to make better choices for your kid?

Let's demystify the Environmental Working Group, their Skin Deep database, and how it can — and can't — help you evaluate what's going on your child's scalp.

What Is the EWG?

The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit research and advocacy organization founded in 1993. They focus on environmental health, and their work spans everything from pesticide residues on produce (their famous "Dirty Dozen" list) to drinking water quality to — relevant to us — personal care products.

The EWG doesn't manufacture products. They don't sell shampoo. What they do is research ingredients, aggregate safety data, and make it accessible to regular people who don't have time to read toxicology papers over breakfast.

What Is the Skin Deep Database?

Skin Deep is the EWG's publicly accessible, searchable database of personal care products and ingredients. It's free to use at ewg.org/skindeep, and it contains data on over 90,000 products and 2,500+ ingredients.

Think of it as a Carfax report for your shampoo bottle. You type in a product or ingredient, and you get a hazard score based on available research.

How the Scoring Works

EWG Skin Deep scores both individual ingredients and finished products on a scale of 1 to 10:

• 1-2 (Green / Low Hazard) — Ingredients with extensive safety data showing low concern for health effects. This is where you want to be.
• 3-6 (Yellow / Moderate Hazard) — Ingredients with some concern. Maybe limited data, maybe known sensitization potential, maybe a flag for a specific use case.
• 7-10 (Red / High Hazard) — Ingredients with significant safety concerns based on available evidence. Think parabens, formaldehyde donors, certain fragrances.

A product's overall score is derived from the scores of its individual ingredients. If every ingredient in your kid's shampoo scores a 1, the product scores a 1. One high-scoring ingredient can pull the whole product up.

What a Score of 1 Means

A score of 1 is the lowest possible hazard rating. It means that based on the available scientific literature, an ingredient shows minimal to no concern across categories including cancer, developmental and reproductive toxicity, allergies, and immunotoxicity.

It doesn't mean "zero risk" — nothing in life has zero risk, including water if you drink too much of it. It means the available data is reassuring, and the ingredient has been well-studied enough for that reassurance to be meaningful.

When we formulated the Field Trip Kids Carnival Shampoo & Body Wash, we specifically selected ingredients that score a 1 on EWG's Skin Deep database. Not to put a number on our marketing — but because when you're formulating for kids, every ingredient should earn its place.

How to Use Skin Deep Yourself (5-Minute Guide)

You don't need to take our word for it — or any brand's word. Here's how to do your own research:

1. Go to ewg.org/skindeep
2. Search by product name — Type in the exact product name. If it's in the database, you'll see the overall score and a breakdown by ingredient.
3. Search by ingredient — Grab your kid's shampoo bottle, flip it over, and type in individual ingredients. Panthenol? Score 1. Sodium lauryl sulfate? Score 1-2, but with use-restriction notes. DMDM hydantoin? Score 7.
4. Read the data gaps — A score of 1 with "robust data" is more reliable than a score of 1 with "limited data." EWG flags data availability, which is useful context.
5. Check for overall concerns — The database breaks down concerns by category: cancer, developmental toxicity, allergies, etc. An ingredient might score well overall but have a flag in one specific category.

Spend five minutes doing this with your current shampoo. You might be surprised. You might also be pleasantly confirmed. Either way, you'll know.

What EWG Skin Deep Doesn't Tell You

No single resource is perfect, and Skin Deep has limitations worth understanding:

• Scores are based on available data — If an ingredient hasn't been extensively studied, it may get a low score by default, not because it's proven safe but because there's no data flagging it as unsafe.
• Concentration matters — Skin Deep scores ingredients in general, not at the specific concentration used in a product. An ingredient at 0.01% is very different from the same ingredient at 10%.
• Formulation matters — How ingredients interact with each other in a formula affects safety and efficacy. A database can't capture that.
• It's not the only standard — EWG's methodology is one approach. Other organizations like Credo, the EU's SCCS, and Health Canada use different criteria. Cross-referencing is smart.

Where Credo Clean Fits In

While EWG Skin Deep is a research tool, Credo Clean is a certification standard. Credo maintains a "Dirty List" of over 2,700 ingredients banned from products sold in their stores — one of the most restrictive clean beauty standards in the industry.

The Field Trip Kids Carnival collection is Credo Clean certified. That means every ingredient in our Shampoo & Body Wash, Conditioner, and Detangling Spray has been vetted against Credo's restricted list.

Using EWG Skin Deep and looking for third-party certifications like Credo Clean gives you two independent layers of verification. Belt and suspenders — which, when it comes to what goes on your kid, is exactly the right approach.

What This Means for Choosing Your Kid's Shampoo

Here's the practical takeaway:

• Use EWG Skin Deep as a free research tool to evaluate products yourself
• Look for products with ingredients that score 1-2
• Pay attention to data quality, not just the number
• Layer EWG data with third-party certifications like Credo Clean
• Don't rely on any single source — cross-reference

We encourage every parent to look up our ingredients on EWG's Skin Deep database. Seriously — go do it. We formulated these products to hold up to exactly that level of scrutiny. Our Happy Hair Set gives you the full Carnival lineup to try: Shampoo & Body Wash, Conditioner, and Detangling Spray.

Informed parents make better choices. And better choices make bath time a whole lot less stressful.

Check our ingredients on EWG Skin Deep →