ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C)
Antioxidant; Fragrance Ingredient; pH Adjuster; Skin-Conditioning Agent - Miscellaneous; BUFFERING; MASKING; SKIN CONDITIONING
Also listed as
ASCORBIC ACID, VITAMIN C; L-ASCORBIC ACID; 3-KETO-L-GULOFURANOLACTONE; 3-OXO-L-GULOFURANOLACTONE; 3-OXO-L-GULOFURANOLACTONE (ENOL FORM) ; ADENEX; ALLERCORB; ANTISCORBIC VITAMIN; ANTISCORBUTIC VITAMIN; ARCO-CEE; ASCOLTIN
Given the incomplete information made available by companies and the government, EWG provides additional information on personal care product ingredients from the published scientific literature. The chart below indicates that research studies have found that exposure to this ingredient -- not the products containing it -- caused the indicated health effect(s) in the studies reviewed by Skin Deep researchers. Actual health risks, if any, will vary based on the level of exposure to the ingredient and individual susceptibility -- information not available in Skin Deep.
| This ingredient: | |
 | Cancer |
 | Developmental/reproductive toxicity |
| Violations, restrictions & warnings |
| Allergies/immunotoxicity |
| Contamination concerns |
| Lesser or emerging concerns for this ingredient: Data gaps |
|
See products containing ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C) | |
About ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C): Ascorbic Acid is the organic compound.
ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C) has reported used in the following product types: hair color and bleaching (582); facial moisturizer/treatment (543); anti-aging (341); conditioner (208); moisturizer (191); shampoo (167); facial cleanser (140); foundation (102); around-eye cream (96); sunscreen: SPF 15-30 (95)
Cancer
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more in vitro tests on mammalian cells show positive mutation results | RTECS®- Science 1987 | |
| show more | ||
Data gaps
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Risk assessment method deficiencies and data gaps - Maximum reported "as used" concentration is basis of safety assessment by industry safety panel (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, CIR) - implicit safe concentration limit in product | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments | |
| Safety assessment was based on related chemical | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments | |
| 10,137 studies on toxicity in PubMed see search results -> | PubMed |
Ecotoxicology
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful | Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List | |
| show more | ||
Persistence and bioaccumulation
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Not suspected to be persistent | Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List | |
| show more | ||
Multiple, additive exposure sources
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Everything Added to Food | |
| Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Food Additive Status |
Government, industry, academic studies and classifications
| government/industry list/academic study | appears on list as | classification(s) |
| FDA Food Additive Status | ASCORBIC ACID | • Food additive: chemical preservative • GRAS (generally recognized as safe) - use in food presumed safe based either on a history of use before 1958 or on published scientific evidence; need not be approved by the FDA prior to use in food; most have not limit for use but must conform to good manufacturing practices; some GRAS substances have quantitative limit for use in foods; by definition under Sec 201(s) of FD&C Act, not food additives • Food additive: must be in accordance with good manufacturing practices, or sufficient for purpose; or in quantity not greater than required - CFR182.3013 • Dietary supplement • GRAS (generally recognized as safe) - use in food presumed safe based either on a history of use before 1958 or on published scientific evidence; need not be approved by the FDA prior to use in food; most have not limit for use but must conform to good manufacturing practices; some GRAS substances have quantitative limit for use in foods; by definition under Sec 201(s) of FD&C Act, not food additives • Food additive: must be in accordance with good manufacturing practices, or sufficient for purpose; or in quantity not greater than required - CFR182.5013 • Food additive: nutrient • GRAS (generally recognized as safe) - use in food presumed safe based either on a history of use before 1958 or on published scientific evidence; need not be approved by the FDA prior to use in food; most have not limit for use but must conform to good manufacturing practices; some GRAS substances have quantitative limit for use in foods; by definition under Sec 201(s) of FD&C Act, not food additives • Food additive: must be in accordance with good manufacturing practices, or sufficient for purpose; or in quantity not greater than required - CFR182.8013 • miscellaneous • Substances generally recognized as safe in foods but limited in standardized foods where the standard provides for its use • refers to part number under Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations 137 • Cereal Flours • 150.141; 150.161 • Art Sw Jellies and Preserves • 155.200 - Canned Mushrooms and Artichokes |
| FDA Food Additive Status | VITAMIN C | • See Ascorbic Acid |
| Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments | L-ASCORBIC ACID | •Safe as used in cosmetics according to industry panel (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, CIR) •Maximum reported "as used" concentration is basis of safety assessment by industry safety panel (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, CIR) - implicit safe concentration limit in product •Safety assessment by industry safety panel (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, CIR) is based on safety or product use data for a different, related ingredient |
| FDA Everything Added to Food | ASCORBIC ACID | • Fully up-to-date toxicology information has been sought. |
| Roelandts, 1998 | ASCORBIC ACID | May protect skin fibroblasts and keratinocytes further against UVB-induced cytoxic effects |
| Darr, 1992 | ASCORBIC ACID | Some protection against UVB-induced erythema and sunburn-cell formation |
| Bissett, 1990 | ASCORBIC ACID | Some protection against skin wrinkling and tumour formation |
| Darr, 1996 | ASCORBIC ACID | Some protection against skin wrinkling and tumour formation |
| Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List | L-ASCORBIC ACID | •This chemical was NOT flagged by CEPA for further attention. The chemical was flagged for as a low human health priority. |
| IFRA Fragrance Ingredient List | L-ASCORBIC ACID | •The chemical has been reported as used in fragrance compounds by IFRA affiliated member companies in 2008. |
| RTECS®- Agricultural and Biological Chemistry 1981 | ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C) | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Mutation in Micro-organism (Salmonella typhimurium ) |
| RTECS®- Cancer Research 1982 | ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C) | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: DNA Damage ( human oth) • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: DNA Inhibition ( human oth) • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: other mutation test systems ( human oth) |
| RTECS®- Eiyo to Shokuryo 1981 | ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C) | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: sperm (silkworm par) |
| RTECS®- Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis 1993 | ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C) | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Micronucleus test (mouse ipr) |
| RTECS®- Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis 1995 | ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C) | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Micronucleus test (hamster ovr) |
| RTECS®- Food and Cosmetics Toxicology 1980 | ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C) | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Cytogenetic Analysis (hamster ovr) |
| RTECS®- Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology 1978 | ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C) | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: DNA Damage (mammal lym) • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: other mutation test systems (mouse lvr) |
| RTECS®- Mechanisms of Ageing and Development 1979 | ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C) | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Mutation in Micro-organism (Neurospora crassa ) |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 2005 | ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C) | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: DNA Damage (mouse orl) • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Micronucleus test (mouse orl) |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 1982 | ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C) | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: DNA Inhibition ( human hla) |
| RTECS®- Oncology 1978 | ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C) | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: DNA Inhibition ( human oth) |
| RTECS®- Proceedings of the Oklahoma Academy of Science 1953 | ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C) | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Mutation in Micro-organism (other micro-organisms ) |
| RTECS®- Progress in Mutation Research 1981 | ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C) | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: DNA Damage (Bacillus subtilis ) |
| RTECS®- Progress in Mutation Research 1981 | ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C) | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Sex Chromosome Loss and Nondisjunction (Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) |
| RTECS®- Progress in Mutation Research 1981 | ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C) | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Gene Conversion and Mitotic Recombination (Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) |
| RTECS®- Progress in Mutation Research 1981 | ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C) | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: DNA repair (Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) |
| RTECS®- Science 1987 | ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C) | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Sister Chromatid Exchange (hamster ovr) |
| RTECS®- Teratogenesis, Carcinogenesis, and Mutagenesis 1989 | ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C) | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Cytogenetic Analysis (mouse ipr) • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Sister Chromatid Exchange (mouse ipr) |
| RTECS®- Toxicology Letters 2007 | ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C) | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: DNA Damage ( human oth) |
references
| government/industry list/academic study | reference |
| FDA Food Additive Status | FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) 2006. Food Additive Status List. Downloaded from http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/%7Edms/opa-appa.html, Oct 16, 2006. |
| Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments | CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC. |
| FDA Everything Added to Food | FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). 2008. EAFUS [Everything Added to Food]: A Food Additive Database. FDA Office of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. |
| Open scientific literature | {Roelandts, 1998} |
| Open scientific literature | {Darr, 1992} |
| Open scientific literature | {Bissett, 1990} |
| Open scientific literature | {Darr, 1996} |
| Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List | EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry. |
| IFRA Fragrance Ingredient List | IFRA (International Fragrance Assocication). 2010. IFRA Fragrance Ingredient List based on 2008 Use Survey. Accessed online 01/04/2010: http://www.ifraorg.org/Home/News/Latest-News/page.aspx/66?xf_itemId=43&xf_selectionDatapartId=25 |
| RTECS®- Agricultural and Biological Chemistry 1981 | RTECS®- Agricultural and Biological Chemistry. (Maruzen Co. Ltd., POB 5050, Tokyo International, Tokyo 100-31, Japan) V.25- 45,327,1981 |
| RTECS®- Cancer Research 1982 | RTECS®- Cancer Research. (Public Ledger Building, Suit 816, 6th & Chestnut Sts., Philadelphia, PA 19106) V.1- 42,3783,1982 |
| RTECS®- Eiyo to Shokuryo 1981 | RTECS®- Eiyo to Shokuryo. Food and Nutrition. (Tokyo, Japan) V.10-35, 1957-82. 34,367,1981 |
| RTECS®- Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis 1993 | RTECS®- Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis. (Alan R. Liss, Inc., 41 E. 11th St., New York, NY 10003) V.10- 21,160,1993 |
| RTECS®- Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis 1995 | RTECS®- Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis. (Alan R. Liss, Inc., 41 E. 11th St., New York, NY 10003) V.10- 26,240,1995 |
| RTECS®- Food and Cosmetics Toxicology 1980 | RTECS®- Food and Cosmetics Toxicology. (London, UK) V.1-19, 1963-81. For publisher information, see FCTOD7. 18,497,1980 |
| RTECS®- Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology 1978 | RTECS®- Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology. (Business Center for Academic Soc. Japan, 2-4-16 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113, Japan) V.19- 24,263,1978 |
| RTECS®- Mechanisms of Ageing and Development 1979 | RTECS®- Mechanisms of Ageing and Development. (Elsevier Science Pub. Co., Inc., 52 Vanderbilt Ave., New York, NY 10017) V.1- 10,249,1979 |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 2005 | RTECS®- Mutation Research. (Elsevier Science Pub. B.V., POB 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands) V.1- 577S,1,2005 |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 1982 | RTECS®- Mutation Research. (Elsevier Science Pub. B.V., POB 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands) V.1- 92,427,1982 |
| RTECS®- Oncology 1978 | RTECS®- Oncology. (S. Karger AG, Postfach CH-4009 Basel, Switzerland) V.21- 35,160,1978 |
| RTECS®- Proceedings of the Oklahoma Academy of Science 1953 | RTECS®- Proceedings of the Oklahoma Academy of Science. (Oklahoma Academy of Science, c/o Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Southwestern Oklahoma State Univ., Weatherford, OK 73096) V.1- 1910/1920- 34,114,1953 |
| RTECS®- Progress in Mutation Research 1981 | RTECS®- Progress in Mutation Research. (Elsevier Science Pub. Co., Inc., 52 Vanderbilt Ave., New York, NY 10017) V.1- 1,175,1981 |
| RTECS®- Progress in Mutation Research 1981 | RTECS®- Progress in Mutation Research. (Elsevier Science Pub. Co., Inc., 52 Vanderbilt Ave., New York, NY 10017) V.1- 1,468,1981 |
| RTECS®- Progress in Mutation Research 1981 | RTECS®- Progress in Mutation Research. (Elsevier Science Pub. Co., Inc., 52 Vanderbilt Ave., New York, NY 10017) V.1- 1,491,1981 |
| RTECS®- Progress in Mutation Research 1981 | RTECS®- Progress in Mutation Research. (Elsevier Science Pub. Co., Inc., 52 Vanderbilt Ave., New York, NY 10017) V.1- 1,502,1981 |
| RTECS®- Science 1987 | RTECS®- Science. (American Assoc. for the Advancement of Science, 1333 H St., NW, Washington, DC 20005) V.1- 236,933,1987 |
| RTECS®- Teratogenesis, Carcinogenesis, and Mutagenesis 1989 | RTECS®- Teratogenesis, Carcinogenesis, and Mutagenesis. (Alan R. Liss, Inc., 41 E. 11th St., New York, NY 10003) V.1- 9,51,1989 |
| RTECS®- Toxicology Letters 2007 | RTECS®- Toxicology Letters. (Elsevier Science Pub. B.V., POB 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands) V.1- 170,57,2007 |
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