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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
● 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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shampoo1762 products
body wash/cleanser1405 products
conditioner1187 products
liquid hand soap986 products
bath oil/salts/soak624 products
facial cleanser623 products
facial moisturizer/treatment596 products
moisturizer486 products
hair treatment/serum406 products
mask391 products
serums & essences348 products
foundation304 products
hair color and bleaching210 products
exfoliant/scrub209 products
hair styling aide204 products
lip balm190 products
toners/astringents188 products
eye liner174 products
daily use with SPF168 products
recreational sunscreen161 products
baby wipes157 products
around-eye cream153 products
nail polish143 products
bubble bath140 products
lipstick135 products
makeup remover134 products
baby shampoo128 products
brow liner115 products
hand cream106 products
baby soap106 products
bar soap88 products
toothpaste83 products
styling gel/lotion79 products
bronzer/highlighter74 products
concealer73 products
eye shadow66 products
makeup primer65 products
sunless tanning64 products
detangler64 products
hand sanitizer64 products
mascara64 products
antiperspirant/deodorant55 products
blush54 products
lip gloss51 products
body spray51 products
body firming lotion49 products
baby lotion46 products
setting powder/spray44 products
shaving cream42 products
hair spray41 products
baby bubble bath37 products
mouthwash37 products
anti-aging35 products
styling mousse/foam32 products
lip liner30 products
hair-loss treatment29 products
baby sunscreen28 products
beard cleanser28 products
BB cream27 products
24 products
after sun product21 products
baby toothpaste20 products
beard care19 products
skin fading/lightener17 products
after shave17 products
body cleansing wipes17 products
foot moisturizer16 products
nail treatment16 products
fragrance for women15 products
facial powder14 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)13 products
tooth whitening12 products
shaving cream (men's)11 products
eye makeup remover10 products
body oil10 products
lip balm with SPF10 products
muscle/joint soreness8 products
CC cream8 products
damaged skin treatment7 products
facial cleansing wipes7 products
eyelash glue6 products
foot cleansing5 products
glitter5 products
other eye makeup5 products
lip plumper4 products
tanning oil3 products
makeup removing wipes3 products
oil controller2 products
hair removal waxes2 products
hair relaxer2 products
baby oil2 products
foot odor control2 products
diaper cream1 products
fragrance for men1 products
polish remover1 products
vapor rubs1 products
beard oil1 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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