Body & Beauty / Compounds / Citric acid

Citric acid on your skin: a safety profile

Low risk

Not medical or professional safety advice, and not a substitute for a qualified clinician — consult one. Full disclaimer →

High-concentration cleaning-product formulations produce mild transient skin irritation; eczema-prone individuals at higher risk. Not a documented sensitiser. FDA GRAS for normal-use food contact.

What is citric acid?

The IUPAC name is 2-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid.

Also known as: 2-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid, Citric acid, anhydrous, Aciletten, Anhydrous citric acid.

IUPAC name
2-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid
CAS number
77-92-9
Molecular formula
C6H8O7
Molecular weight
192.12 g/mol
SMILES
C(C(=O)O)C(CC(=O)O)(C(=O)O)O
PubChem CID
311

Risk for people

Low risk

High-concentration cleaning-product formulations produce mild transient skin irritation; eczema-prone individuals at higher risk. Not a documented sensitiser. FDA GRAS for normal-use food contact.

Regulatory consensus

5 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Citric acid. The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EPA CTX / Genetox—Genotoxicity: positive (Ames: positive, 15 positive / 5 negative reports)
EPA CTX / Genetox—Genotoxicity: positive (Ames: positive, 15 positive / 5 negative reports)
FDA—GRAS — no ADI limitation; E330
EU—E330 — quantum satis (no upper limit specified for most foods)
JECFA—ADI not limited — acceptable at current intake

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 citric acid

  • Industrial Facilities — Manufacturing plants, Chemical storage areas, Waste treatment sites
  • Occupational Environments — Factories, Warehouses, Transportation vehicles
  • Food — processed food, beverages, candy, baked goods
  • Fragrance — perfume, cologne, scented personal care products, household fragrance products, candles
    Identified in Fragrance Ingredient Safety Priority Research database (2,325 ingredients)
  • Food And Beverage — soft drinks, candy, canned goods, jam, wine
  • Personal Care — shampoo (pH adjuster), skin care (AHA exfoliant), bath bombs
  • Cleaning Products — descalers, dishwasher rinse aids, toilet bowl cleaners
  • Pharmaceutical — effervescent tablets, oral solutions (pH buffer), anticoagulant in blood banking
  • Industrial — cement retarder, oil well acidizing, metal cleaning

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Citric acid:

  • Physical/mechanical pest control (IPM)
    Trade-offs: More labor-intensive. May not be sufficient for severe infestations.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

Is citric acid safe for you?

High-concentration cleaning-product formulations produce mild transient skin irritation; eczema-prone individuals at higher risk. Not a documented sensitiser. FDA GRAS for normal-use food contact.

What products contain citric acid?

Citric acid appears in: Manufacturing plants (Industrial facilities); Chemical storage areas (Industrial facilities); Factories (Occupational environments); Warehouses (Occupational environments); processed food (Food).

Why do regulators disagree about citric acid?

Citric acid has been classified by 5 agencies including EPA CTX / Genetox, EPA CTX / Genetox, FDA, EU, JECFA, with differing conclusions. 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. See the regulatory consensus table on this page for the full picture.

See Citric acid in the body app

Look up products containing citric acid, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in body View raw API data

Sources (2)
  1. FDA GRAS: Citric Acid (21 CFR 184.1033) — GRAS acidulant; not specified ADI; soft drinks; effervescent tablets; chelation; TCA cycle metabolite; dental erosion concern (2021) (2021) — regulatory
  2. EFSA ANS Panel: Re-evaluation of Citric Acid (E 330) — ADI not specified; dietary exposure assessment; dental erosion; calcium chelation; sour candy oral injury; safety conclusion (2018) (2018) — regulatory

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →