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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Good

Citric Acid

  • 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

1,2,3-PROPANETRICARBOXYLIC ACID, 2-HYDROXY-, 1,2,3PROPANETRICARBOXYLIC ACID, 2HYDROXY, 2-HYDROXY- 1,2,3-PROPANETRICARBOXYLIC ACID, 2-HYDROXY-1,2,3-PROPANETRICARBOXYLIC ACID, ANHYDROUS CITRIC ACID, CITRIC ACID, CITRIC ACID, ANHYDROUS, and MONOHYDRATE CITRIC ACID

Restricted

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

Citric acid is an alpha hydroxy acid used in personal care products to adjust the acidity or promote skin peeling and re-growth in the case of anti-aging products. Citric acid is naturally found in citric fruits and juices, providing the characteristic acidic taste.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

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

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

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shampoo1657 products
body wash/cleanser1354 products
conditioner1141 products
liquid hand soap961 products
facial cleanser607 products
bath oil/salts/soak603 products
facial moisturizer/treatment585 products
moisturizer458 products
mask381 products
hair treatment/serum353 products
serums & essences343 products
foundation303 products
hair color and bleaching236 products
daily use with SPF208 products
lip balm193 products
exfoliant/scrub182 products
toners/astringents180 products
hair styling aide178 products
eye liner168 products
recreational sunscreen163 products
around-eye cream159 products
baby wipes157 products
bubble bath151 products
lipstick150 products
nail polish139 products
makeup remover128 products
baby shampoo122 products
brow liner111 products
hand cream103 products
baby soap101 products
bar soap85 products
toothpaste84 products
bronzer/highlighter73 products
concealer72 products
makeup primer68 products
mascara66 products
eye shadow66 products
styling gel/lotion65 products
hand sanitizer65 products
sunless tanning64 products
detangler59 products
antiperspirant/deodorant53 products
body firming lotion52 products
setting powder/spray52 products
body spray50 products
blush48 products
lip gloss46 products
baby lotion42 products
baby bubble bath38 products
shaving cream37 products
mouthwash36 products
anti-aging34 products
BB cream30 products
styling mousse/foam28 products
baby sunscreen28 products
hair-loss treatment27 products
hair spray26 products
26 products
lip liner24 products
beard cleanser24 products
CC cream21 products
baby toothpaste20 products
after sun product20 products
after shave18 products
beard care18 products
skin fading/lightener17 products
fragrance for women17 products
foot moisturizer16 products
nail treatment16 products
lip balm with SPF16 products
facial powder14 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)13 products
tooth whitening12 products
shaving cream (men's)12 products
body cleansing wipes12 products
eye makeup remover10 products
body oil10 products
muscle/joint soreness9 products
damaged skin treatment6 products
foot cleansing5 products
glitter5 products
facial cleansing wipes5 products
eyelash glue4 products
lip plumper3 products
oil controller2 products
hair removal waxes2 products
other eye makeup2 products
baby oil2 products
vapor rubs2 products
tanning oil2 products
diaper cream1 products
fragrance for men1 products
polish remover1 products
hair relaxer1 products
foot odor control1 products
beard oil1 products
body art1 products
makeup removing wipes1 products

Use restrictions

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Restricted in cosmetics (recommendations or requirements) - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Use is restricted in Canadian cosmeticsCanada - Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetics Ingredients

Data gaps

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CONCERN 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 productCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
20950 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

Informational

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - anyCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

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
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodFDA Food Additive Status

Ecotoxicology

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

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
Classified as a low human health priorityEnvironment 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
  • Health Canada. 2007. List of Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetic Ingredients. Canada's Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist. March 2007.
  • CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC.
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.

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
WEIGHT-OF-EVIDENCE APPROACH

A product’s hazard score is not an average of the ingredients’ hazard scores. It is calculated using a weight-of-evidence approach that factors in all of the hazards or health impacts associated with the ingredients.

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
NONE

Ingredients have not been assessed.

LIMITED-FAIR

There is only a modest volume of research.

GOOD-ROBUST

Ingredients have been studied extensively.

Can’t find your product?

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