Hydroxycitronellal
What Is It?
Hydroxycitronellal is a pale yellow liquid with a sweet floral aroma. In cosmetics and personal care products, Hydroxycitronellal is used in the formulation of colognes, hair sprays, perfumes and skin care products.
Why Is It Used?
Hydroxycitronellal functions as a fragrance ingredientSubstances that impart an odor to a product..
Scientific Facts
Hydroxycitronellal occurs naturally in some plants such as lavender.
Safety Information
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of Hydroxycitronellal as a flavoring agentIngredients that impart a flavor or a taste to a product. for direct addition to food. The safety of Hydroxycitronellal has been evaluated by the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials Expert Panel (REXPAN). Based on this evaluation, an International Fragrance Association (IFRA) Standard has been established. The IFRA Standard restricts the use of Hydroxycitronellal in fragrances because of potential sensitization.
Link to the IFRA Standards: http://www.ifraorg.org/en-us/standards_1
The Cosmetic Ingredient ReviewThe Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) was established in 1976 as an independent safety review program for cosmetic ingredients. The CIR Expert Panel consists of independent experts in dermatology, toxicology, pharmacolgy and veterinary medicine. The CIR includes participation by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and the Consumer Federation of America. (CIR) defers review of individual fragrance ingredients to the IFRA program unless the ingredient has significant uses other than as a fragrance. In this case, the ingredient may be assessed by both the CIR Expert Panel and REXPAN.
Link to FDA Code of Federal Regulations for Hydroxycitronellal: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr…
The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) concluded that Hydroxycitronellal does not present a safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavoring agent.
Link to the JECFA safety evaluation of Hydroxycitronellal: http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jeceval/jec_1076.htm
The Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association Expert Panel has reviewed the safety of Hydroxycitronellal and determined that it was Generally Recognized as Safe for use as a flavoring substance. In Europe, Hydroxycitronellal is included on the list of “allergenic” substances. The European Cosmetics Regulation requires manufacturers of cosmetics and personal care products to indicate the presence of certain “allergenic” substances in the list of ingredients if they are present above certain levels in the product (see Annex III). The presence of Hydroxycitronellal must be indicated in the list of ingredients when its concentration exceeds: 0.001% in leave-on the skin products 0.01% in products that are rinsed off the skin.
Link to the EU Cosmetic Regulation: http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/consumers/product_labelling_and_packaging/co0013_en.htm
More information about the safety of fragrances.
More Scientific Information
Hydroxycitronellal, also known as 3,7-dimethyl-7-hydroxy-octanal, is an aldehyde.
Resources
Find out more about the regulation of Food Additives by the Food and Drug Administration
Food Ingredients and Packaging: http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/default.htm
Food Contact Substances: http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/PackagingFCS/default.htm
Substances Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS“GRAS” is an acronym for the phrase Generally Recognized As Safe. Under sections 201(s) and 409 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act), any substance that is intentionally added to food is a food additive, that is subject to premarket review and approval by FDA, unless the substance is generally recognized, among qualified experts, as having been adequately shown to be safe under the conditions of its intended use, or unless the use of the substance is otherwise excluded from the definition of a food additive.): http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/GRAS/default.htm
Link to the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials http://www.rifm.org
Search the FDA Code of Federal Regulations http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm
EU Cosmetics Inventory http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/cosmetics/cosing/