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Data: Fair

Citronellol

  • Products with the EWG VERIFIED mark have met use restrictions and warnings based on EWG review of company data.

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Use restrictions (moderate)

SYNONYMS

● 3,7-DIMETHYL- 6-OCTEN-1-OL
● 3,7-DIMETHYL-6-OCTEN-1-OL
● 3,7-DIMETHYL-6-OCTEN-1-OL; 3,7-DIMETHYL-6-OCTEN-1-OL
● 6-OCTEN-1-OL, 3,7-DIMETHYL-
● CITRONELLOL
● DL-CITRONELLOL
● L-CITRONELLOL

Restricted

Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation


Citronellol is a naturally ocurring scent ingredient derived from plants such as rose, geranium and lemongrass.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

  • LOW
    Cancer
  • HIGH
    Allergies & Immunotoxicity
  • LOW
    Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
  • MODERATE
    Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

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fragrance for women310 products
hair treatment/serum276 products
conditioner253 products
shampoo246 products
moisturizer244 products
facial moisturizer/treatment228 products
hair styling aide223 products
fragrance for men119 products
foundation115 products
styling gel/lotion112 products
body wash/cleanser110 products
hair spray100 products
antiperspirant/deodorant100 products
body spray88 products
serums & essences84 products
hand cream79 products
mask73 products
lipstick66 products
facial cleanser62 products
bar soap53 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)53 products
lip balm51 products
exfoliant/scrub46 products
toners/astringents40 products
styling mousse/foam40 products
daily use with SPF39 products
body oil36 products
lip gloss35 products
liquid hand soap35 products
sunless tanning32 products
body firming lotion26 products
bath oil/salts/soak25 products
after shave24 products
hair color and bleaching20 products
around-eye cream20 products
lip balm with SPF19 products
eye shadow17 products
detangler15 products
makeup primer15 products
blush13 products
concealer11 products
setting powder/spray11 products
hand sanitizer10 products
anti-aging9 products
nail treatment9 products
bronzer/highlighter8 products
skin fading/lightener7 products
beard care7 products
makeup remover6 products
shaving cream (men's)6 products
shaving cream6 products
body powder6 products
lip plumper6 products
baby lotion5 products
beard oil5 products
nail polish4 products
recreational sunscreen4 products
BB cream4 products
baby oil4 products
4 products
cuticle treatment3 products
baby soap3 products
bubble bath3 products
foot moisturizer2 products
facial powder2 products
polish remover2 products
after sun product2 products
baby shampoo2 products
tanning oil2 products
beard cleanser2 products
foot odor control1 products
glitter1 products
depilatory1 products
hair relaxer1 products
oil controller1 products
muscle/joint soreness1 products
hair-loss treatment1 products
hair removal waxes1 products
baby bubble bath1 products
brow liner1 products
hair perm1 products
baby powder1 products
nail glue1 products
body cleansing wipes1 products
facial cleansing wipes1 products

Allergies/immunotoxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Known human any toxicant or allergenOpen scientific literature
Possible human immune system toxicant or allergenSCCPNFP Opinion on Fragrance Allergy
Human any toxicant or allergen - strong evidenceOpen scientific literature
Limited evidence of any toxicity or allergiesOpen scientific literature

Use restrictions

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Recommended restricted in cosmetics - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Fragrance subject to restrictions: safe only within recommended use or concentration limitsn)International Fragrance Association Codes & Standards
Restricted in cosmetics - labeling requirement for allergensCosIng

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Multiple, additive exposure sources

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodFDA Everything Added to Food

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Persistence and bioaccumulation

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be persistentEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
412 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed
  • Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
  • SCCPNFP (Scientific Committee On Cosmetic Products And Non-Food Products). 1999. Opinion Concerning Fragrance Allergy In Consumers. . SCCNFP/0017/98 Final, December 1999; and SCCPNFP (Scientific Committee On Cosmetic Products And Non-Food Products). 2000. An Initial List Of Perfumery Materials Which Must Not Form Part Of Fragrances Compounds Used In Cosmetic Products. SCCNFP/0320/00, final May 2000.
  • IFRA (International Fragrance Association). 2006. Codes and Standards.
  • European Commission. 2013. Cosing, the European Commission database with information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. Accessed on March 1, 2013 at http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/cosmetics/cosing/ .
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
  • 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.
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.

Understanding scores

Cosmetics and personal care products are not required to be tested for safety before being allowed on the market. The Skin Deep® scoring system was designed to help the public understand whether a product is safe to use or whether it contains ingredients of concern.

Every product and ingredient in Skin Deep gets a two-part score – one for hazard and one for data availability. The safest products score well by both measures, with a low hazard rating and a fair or better data availability rating.

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES

Hazard score

The Skin Deep ingredient hazard score, from 1 to 10, reflects known and suspected hazards linked to the ingredients. The EWG VERIFIED® mark means a product meets EWG’s strictest criteria for transparency and health.

Score legend

Data availability

The Skin Deep data availability rating reflects the number of scientific studies about the product or ingredient in the published scientific literature.

NONE LIMITED FAIR GOOD ROBUST
Low Availability
Moderate Availability
High Availability

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