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Data: Fair

Citral

  • Products with this ingredient are allowed for use in EWG VERIFIED but must meet use restrictions and warnings based on EWG review of company data.
  • 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) and Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (high)

SYNONYMS

● 2,6-OCTADIENAL, 3,7-DIMETHYL-
● 2,6OCTADIENAL, 3,7DIMETHYL
● 3,7-DIMETHYL- 2,6-OCTADIENAL
● 3,7-DIMETHYL-2,6-OCTADIENAL
● CITRAL

Restricted

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


Citral is a naturally occurring scent ingredient; manufactured synthetically on a large scale; associated with allergies and contact dermatitis.

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 women300 products
moisturizer194 products
facial moisturizer/treatment161 products
hair treatment/serum129 products
fragrance for men122 products
hair styling aide111 products
shampoo100 products
lip balm92 products
conditioner88 products
body spray79 products
serums & essences78 products
antiperspirant/deodorant69 products
styling gel/lotion63 products
hand cream62 products
body wash/cleanser59 products
daily use with SPF52 products
exfoliant/scrub49 products
facial cleanser48 products
liquid hand soap45 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)43 products
lip gloss42 products
body oil42 products
lipstick38 products
hair spray34 products
mask32 products
bar soap29 products
foundation25 products
lip balm with SPF24 products
CC cream22 products
body firming lotion21 products
after shave20 products
sunless tanning17 products
styling mousse/foam17 products
hair color and bleaching16 products
around-eye cream14 products
blush14 products
toners/astringents13 products
hand sanitizer12 products
bath oil/salts/soak10 products
lip plumper10 products
makeup primer10 products
beard care9 products
shaving cream8 products
beard oil8 products
foot moisturizer7 products
nail treatment7 products
facial powder7 products
bronzer/highlighter7 products
setting powder/spray7 products
makeup remover6 products
after sun product5 products
recreational sunscreen5 products
concealer4 products
detangler3 products
anti-aging3 products
bubble bath3 products
tanning oil3 products
muscle/joint soreness3 products
cuticle treatment3 products
skin fading/lightener3 products
other eye makeup3 products
baby oil2 products
baby lotion2 products
eyelash glue2 products
foot odor control1 products
depilatory1 products
shaving cream (men's)1 products
oil controller1 products
polish remover1 products
eye makeup remover1 products
BB cream1 products
toothpaste1 products
1 products
body powder1 products
baby shampoo1 products
beard cleanser1 products
brow liner1 products
nail glue1 products
facial cleansing wipes1 products

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as irritantCPS&Q - Classification & Labelling

Allergies/immunotoxicity

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

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
740 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed
  • CPS&Q (Consumer Products Safety & Quality) formely known as ECB (European Chemicals Bureau). 2008. Classification and Labelling: Chemicals: Annex VI of Directive 67/548/EEC through the 31st ATP.
  • 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.
  • Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
  • 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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