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INCI ingredient

Citric Acid

Also listed as: Citric Acid', Citric Acid), Cítric Acid, čitric Acid

A fruit acid used in small amounts to adjust the pH of a product.

What it triggers

  • Vegan originYesno animal source
  • FragranceNonot a perfume ingredient
  • ParabenNonot a preservative of this family
  • SulfateNonot a sulfate surfactant
  • SiliconeNonot a silicone
  • AlcoholNonot a drying alcohol

What it does

Citric acid is the acid of lemons and limes, but in cosmetics it is usually made by fermentation. Near the end of an ingredient list it is there to set the acidity, not to exfoliate.

It does not affect any of the six checks.

Functions: pH adjuster, chelating agent

Products with Citric Acid

in 5,591 products

Showing 24 of 5,591 products with this ingredient, most scanned first.

In the EU ingredient database

Functions listed by CosIng
  • buffering
  • chelating
  • fragrance
  • buffering: Stabilising the pH of an aqueous medium in a narrow range even if an acid or base is added. Altering and/or maintaining a cosmetic product's pH at the desired level.
  • chelating: Forming complexes with metal ions which could affect the stability and/or appearance of cosmetics.
  • fragrance: Imparting an odour or taste. Creating a perceivable pleasant smell and/or masking a bad smell.

CAS 77-92-9 / 5949-29-1 · EC 201-069-1

EU regulation

Not on a restricted-substances annex. Listed as an allowed cosmetic ingredient.

Source: CosIng, European Commission. Informative, no legal value; the regulation text is the reference.

Classification from the INCI name; product lists from Open Beauty Facts.Report a mistake