CITRIC ACID
Chelating Agent; Fragrance Ingredient; pH Adjuster; BUFFERING; MASKING
Also listed as
ANHYDROUS CITRIC ACID; CITRIC ACID, ANHYDROUS; 2-HYDROXY-1,2,3-PROPANETRICARBOXYLIC ACID; 1,2,3-PROPANETRICARBOXYLIC ACID, 2-HYDROXY-; MONOHYDRATE CITRIC ACID; 2-HYDROXY- 1,2,3-PROPANETRICARBOXYLIC ACID; 1,2,3PROPANETRICARBOXYLIC ACID, 2HYDROXY; 1,2,3-PROPANETRICARBOXYLIC ACID, 2-HYDROXY-; 2-HYDROXY-1,2,3-PROPANETRICARBOXYLIC ACID; ACILETTEN; ANHYDROUS CITRIC ACID
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 |
| Other moderate concerns for this ingredient: Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive) |
 | Lesser or emerging concerns for this ingredient: Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Data gaps, Biochemical or cellular level changes |
|
See products containing CITRIC ACID | |
About CITRIC ACID: Cosmetic manufacturers use citric acid to adjust the acidity of a product to avoid skin irritation, or promote skin peeling and re-growth in the case of anti-aging products. Citric acid is also found in citric fruits and juices, providing the characteristic acidic taste. Citric acid is an alpha hydroxy acid.
CITRIC ACID has reported used in the following product types: shampoo (558); body wash/cleanser (443); conditioner (387); hair color and bleaching (357); facial moisturizer/treatment (309); nail polish (280); facial cleanser (269); moisturizer (211); liquid hand soap (165); anti-aging (143)
Violations, restrictions & warnings
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Restricted in cosmetics (recommendations or requirements) - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Use is restricted in Canadian cosmetics | Canada - Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetics Ingredients |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show sense organ effects at very low doses | products for use around the eyes, mouth, or lips | RTECS®- "Prehled Prumyslove Toxikologie; Organicke Latky," Marhold, J 1986 |
| show more | ||
Biochemical or cellular level changes
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show biochemical changes at high doses where the human health implications are not yet well understood | RTECS®- Gigiena i Sanitariya 1993 |
Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show skin irritation at moderate doses | RTECS®- "Prehled Prumyslove Toxikologie; Organicke Latky," Marhold, J 1986 |
Data gaps
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Not assessed for safety in cosmetics by industry panel | ||
| 2,257 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical see search results -> | PubMed |
Multiple, additive exposure sources
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Food Additive Status | |
| Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Everything Added to Food |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Not suspected to be persistent | Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List | |
| show more | ||
Ecotoxicology
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List |
Government, industry, academic studies and classifications
| government/industry list/academic study | appears on list as | classification(s) |
| FDA Food Additive Status | CITRIC ACID | • SEQ/B&N • Substances generally recognized as safe in foods but limited in standardized foods where the standard provides for its use - CFR182.1033; 182.6033 -Food additive: must be in accordance with good manufacturing practices, or sufficient for purpose; or in quantity not greater than required • refers to part number under Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations 169 • Dressings • refers to part number under Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations 133 • refers to part number under Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations 146 Canned Fruit Juices • Cheese • refers to part number under Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations 166 • Oleomargarine • Used in animal feed • 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 • refers to part number under Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations 582.1033 - Animal feeds • Food additive: food additive for which a petition has been filed and a regulation issued - CFR172.755; 173.165 |
| Canada - Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetics Ingredients | CITRIC ACID | •Use is restricted in Canadian cosmetics |
| FDA Everything Added to Food | CITRIC ACID | • Fully up-to-date toxicology information has been sought. |
| Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List | 1,2,3-PROPANETRICARBOXYLIC ACID, 2-HYDROXY- | •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 | CITRIC ACID | •The chemical has been reported as used in fragrance compounds by IFRA affiliated member companies in 2008. |
| RTECS®- "Prehled Prumyslove Toxikologie; Organicke Latky," Marhold, J 1986 | CITRIC ACID | • sense organ - Primary eye irritant (rabbit ) • skin - Primary skin irritant (rabbit ) |
| RTECS®- Gigiena i Sanitariya 1993 | CITRIC ACID | • blood - Changes in serum composition (eg., TP, bilirubin, cholesterol) (rat TDLo) • immune system - Decreased immune response (rat TDLo) • biochemical - Other transferases (rat TDLo) • biochemical - Pepsidases (rat TDLo) • biochemical - Phosphatases (rat TDLo) |
| RTECS®- Industrial and Engineering Chemistry | CITRIC ACID | • brain and nervous system - Convulsions or effect on seizure threshold (rabbit LDLo) • brain and nervous system - Muscle contraction or spasticity (rabbit LDLo) • brain and nervous system - Tremor (rabbit LDLo) |
| RTECS®- Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics | CITRIC ACID | • gastrointestinal - Changes in structure or function of salivary glands (mouse LD50) • brain and nervous system - Convulsions or effect on seizure threshold (mouse LD50) • respiratory - Cyanosis (mouse LD50) |
| RTECS®- Oyo Yakuri 1992 | CITRIC ACID | • broad systemic - Broad systemic toxicity (rat LD50) |
| RTECS®- Takeda Kenkyusho Ho 1971 | CITRIC ACID | • musculoskeletal - Other changes (mouse LD50) |
| RTECS®- Toksikologicheskii Vestnik 1994 | CITRIC ACID | • broad systemic - Broad systemic toxicity (rat LD50) |
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. |
| Canada - Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetics Ingredients | Health Canada. 2007. List of Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetic Ingredients. Canada's Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist. March 2007. |
| 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. |
| 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®- "Prehled Prumyslove Toxikologie; Organicke Latky," Marhold, J 1986 | RTECS®- "Prehled Prumyslove Toxikologie; Organicke Latky," Marhold, J., Prague, Czechoslovakia, Avicenum, 1986 -,658,1986 |
| RTECS®- Gigiena i Sanitariya 1993 | RTECS®- Gigiena i Sanitariya. For English translation, see HYSAAV. (V/O Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga, 113095 Moscow, USSR) V.1- 1936- -,65,1993 |
| RTECS®- Industrial and Engineering Chemistry | RTECS®- Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. (Washington, DC) V.15-62, 1923-70. For publisher information, see CHMTBL. 15,628,1923 {Studies that report acute toxicity, including neurotoxicity, when researchers inject relatively large amounts of citric acid into the bloodstream (Gruber 1948; Weiss 1923) are not considered relevant to cosmetic exposures. EWG analysis shows people are exposed to far more citric acid from a piece of fruit or glass of juice than from cosmetics. In turn, amounts of citric acid reported as acutely toxic are far higher than amounts in fruits and juices. [Penniston KL, Nakada SY, Holmes RP, Assimos DG. 2008. Quantitative Assessment of Citric Acid in Lemon Juice, Lime Juice, and Commercially-Available Fruit Juice Products. Journal of Endourology 22 (3): 567-570.]} |
| RTECS®- Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics | RTECS®- Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. (Williams & Wilkins Co., 428 E. Preston St., Baltimore, MD 21202) V.1- 1909/10- 94,65,1948 {Studies that report acute toxicity, including neurotoxicity, when researchers inject relatively large amounts of citric acid into the bloodstream (Gruber 1948; Weiss 1923) are not considered relevant to cosmetic exposures. EWG analysis shows people are exposed to far more citric acid from a piece of fruit or glass of juice than from cosmetics. In turn, amounts of citric acid reported as acutely toxic are far higher than amounts in fruits and juices. [Penniston KL, Nakada SY, Holmes RP, Assimos DG. 2008. Quantitative Assessment of Citric Acid in Lemon Juice, Lime Juice, and Commercially-Available Fruit Juice Products. Journal of Endourology 22 (3): 567-570.]} |
| RTECS®- Oyo Yakuri 1992 | RTECS®- Oyo Yakuri. Pharmacometrics. (Oyo Yakuri Kenkyukai, CPO Box 180, Sendai 980-91, Japan) V.1- -1967 43,561,1992 |
| RTECS®- Takeda Kenkyusho Ho 1971 | RTECS®- Takeda Kenkyusho Ho. Journal of the Takeda Research Laboratories. (Takeda Yakuhin Kogyo K.K., 2-17-85 Jusohon-machi, Yodogawa-ku, Osaka 532, Japan) V.29- 1970- 30,25,1971 |
| RTECS®- Toksikologicheskii Vestnik 1994 | RTECS®- Toksikologicheskii Vestnik. (18-20 Vadkovskii per. Moscow, 101479, Russia) History Unknown (5),9,1994 |
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