Not cosmetic — specialty oxide
HOLMIUM OXIDE
Safety score · 0–100
Caution
Derived from EU CosIng regulatory status, PubChem hazard data and published research. How we score.
About
A rare-earth oxide with no cosmetic validation — lanthanide oxides are not appropriate for consumer skin products.
Holmium Oxide (Ho2O3, CAS 12055-62-8) is a rare-earth (lanthanide) oxide with specialty applications in glass coloring, optical filters (it produces distinctive absorption lines used for spectrophotometer calibration), and magnetic materials. It is not a recognized cosmetic ingredient: there is no CIR evaluation, no SCCS opinion, no EU CosIng cosmetic function listed, and no major cosmetic-ingredient dictionary entry validating it for skin. Inhalation of respirable rare-earth oxide dust is associated with pulmonary effects in occupational settings, and chronic topical exposure to lanthanide oxides is poorly characterized for absorption, bioaccumulation and local tissue response. Its presence in a cosmetic ingredient list should be treated as either a data-sourcing artefact or a novel speciality use outside validated safety frameworks.
Function
Skin benefits
- No validated cosmetic benefit
Known concerns
- No regulatory cosmetic validation
- Respirable dust pulmonary hazard
- Unknown chronic topical profile
- Lanthanide bioaccumulation concerns
References
EU CosIng database
European Commission cosmetic ingredient registry — regulatory status, restrictions, authorised functions.
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This profile is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice. Regulatory status and scientific understanding evolve — always read the physical product label and consult a healthcare professional for personal concerns.