Castor oil on your skin: a safety profile

What is castor oil?

The IUPAC name is Ricinus communis seed oil.

Also known as: Ricinus communis seed oil, castor bean oil, palma christi oil.

IUPAC name

Ricinus communis seed oil

CAS number

8001-79-4

Molecular formula

complex mixture

Regulatory consensus

2 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Castor oil. The classifications differ — that's the data.

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where you encounter castor oil

• body_oil
• lip_balm
• moisturizer
• sunscreen
• anti_inflammatory_cream

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Castor oil:

• Plant-derived oils with established safety profiles (jojoba, squalane, shea butter)
  Trade-offs: Consumer preference for 'natural' label; many natural fragrance compounds are potent allergens (limonene, linalool, eugenol); 'natural' ≠ 'safe'; often more expensive than synthetic equivalents.
  Relative cost: 2-5× conventional
• Ceramide-based formulations (biomimetic skin barrier repair)
  Trade-offs: Alternative emollient; skin feel, spreadability, and occlusion properties differ; comedogenicity should be assessed for facial use; stability in final formulation needs verification.
  Relative cost: 1.2-2×
• Glycerin-based humectant systems as partial replacement
  Trade-offs: Direct chemical substitution requires verification that the replacement does not introduce new hazards (regrettable substitution). Conduct full hazard assessment of proposed alternative before adoption.
  Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions