EWG Skin Deep® | What is SODIUM CITRATE

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Data: Fair

Sodium Citrate

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

SYNONYMS

1,2,3-PROPANETRICARBOXYLIC ACID, 2-HYDROXY-, MONOSODIUM SALT, 1,2,3-PROPANETRICARBOXYLIC ACID, 2-HYDROXY-, TRISODIUM SALT, 1,2,3PROPANETRICARBOXYLIC ACID, 2HYDROXY, MONOSODIUM SALT, 1,2,3PROPANETRICARBOXYLIC ACID, 2HYDROXY, TRISODIUM SALT, 2-HYDROXY- MONOSODIUM SALT 1,2,3-PROPANETRICARBOXYLIC ACID, 2-HYDROXY- TRISODIUM SALT 1,2,3-PROPANETRICARBOXYLIC ACID, 2-HYDROXY-1,2,3-PROPANETRICARBOXYLIC ACID, MONOSODIUM SALT, 2-HYDROXY-1,2,3-PROPANETRICARBOXYLIC ACID, TRISODIUM SALT, 2-HYDROXY-1,2,3-PROPANETRICARBOXYLIC ACID,TRISODIUM SALT, CITRIC ACID, MONSODIUM SALT, CITRIC ACID, TRISODIUM SALT, MONOSODIUM CITRATE, MONOSODIUM SALT 1,2,3-PROPANETRICARBOXYLIC ACID, 2-HYDROXY-, MONOSODIUM SALT 2-HYDROXY-1,2,3-PROPANETRICARBOXYLIC ACID, MONSODIUM SALT CITRIC ACID, SODIUM CITRATE, SODIUM CITRATEM, SODIUM DIHYDROGEN CITRATE, TRISODIUM CITRATE, TRISODIUM SALT 1,2,3-PROPANETRICARBOXYLIC ACID, 2-HYDROXY-, TRISODIUM SALT 2-HYDROXY-1,2,3-PROPANETRICARBOXYLIC ACID, and TRISODIUM SALT CITRIC ACID

Restricted

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

Cosmetic manufacturers use sodium citrate to adjust the acidity of a product. Citrate, in the form of citric acid, is also found in citric fruits and juices.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

LOW

Cancer
LOW

Allergies & Immunotoxicity
LOW

Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
LOW

Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

CONCERNS
DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

shampoo	306 products
body wash/cleanser	160 products
facial moisturizer/treatment	155 products
foundation	122 products
facial cleanser	107 products
serums & essences	106 products
liquid hand soap	101 products
mask	98 products
conditioner	81 products
baby wipes	76 products
daily use with SPF	76 products
around-eye cream	68 products
toothpaste	57 products
moisturizer	56 products
toners/astringents	49 products
bar soap	46 products
makeup remover	45 products
concealer	43 products
recreational sunscreen	42 products
exfoliant/scrub	33 products
CC cream	30 products
mouthwash	22 products
hand cream	21 products
bath oil/salts/soak	16 products
nail polish	16 products
baby sunscreen	14 products
makeup primer	13 products
hair treatment/serum	12 products
body spray	11 products
anti-aging	10 products
BB cream	10 products
sunless tanning	9 products
brow liner	9 products
after shave	8 products
eye liner	8 products
antiperspirant/deodorant	8 products
setting powder/spray	7 products
tooth whitening	6 products
hand sanitizer	6 products
baby shampoo	6 products
body firming lotion	5 products
lip balm	5 products
hair styling aide	5 products
mascara	4 products
hair color and bleaching	4 products
baby soap	4 products
	4 products
styling gel/lotion	3 products
baby lotion	3 products
lipstick	3 products
bubble bath	3 products
baby bubble bath	3 products
bronzer/highlighter	3 products
eye makeup remover	2 products
foot cleansing	2 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)	2 products
foot moisturizer	2 products
blush	2 products
other eye makeup	2 products
shaving cream	2 products
after sun product	2 products
beard care	2 products
beard cleanser	2 products
baby toothpaste	1 products
hair spray	1 products
skin fading/lightener	1 products
body oil	1 products
detangler	1 products
lip plumper	1 products
foot odor control	1 products
vapor rubs	1 products

Data gaps

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 product	Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
3078 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical	NLM PubMed

Multiple, additive exposure sources

CONCERN	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

Ecotoxicology

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

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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

Persistence and bioaccumulation

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Not suspected to be persistent	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List
Not suspected to be bioaccumulative	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List

Informational

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

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) 2006. Food Additive Status List. Downloaded from http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/%7Edms/opa-appa.html, Oct 16, 2006.
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.
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.

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