Safety Assessment of Citrus Peel-Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics

The Expert Panel for Cosmetic Ingredient Safety (Panel) assessed the safety of 47 Citrus peel-derived ingredients, which are most frequently reported to function in cosmetics as skin conditioning agents. The Panel reviewed the available data to determine the safety of these ingredients. Because final product formulations may contain multiple botanical ingredients, each containing similar constituents of concern, formulators are advised to be aware of these constituents and to avoid reaching levels that may be hazardous to consumers. Industry should use good manufacturing practices to limit impurities that could be present in botanical ingredients. The Panel concluded that Citrus peel-derived ingredients are safe in the present practices of use and concentration in both rinse-off and leave-on cosmetic products when formulated to be non-sensitizing and non-irritating, provided that leave-on products do not contain more than 0.0015% (15 ppm) 5-methoxypsoralen (5-MOP).