Citric Acid

Our database has 2896 products that contain Citric Acid.

Community rating: Disliked

Description

Citric Acid is an AHA derived from citrus fruits (think oranges, lemons, and limes!). A small amount is used in formulas to adjust the pH of products. In higher concentrations, it can exfoliate skin.

Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
* Glycolic Acid
* Lactic Acid
* Malic Acid

Citric Acid is a common cosmetic ingredient, with about 26.79% of the products in our database containing it.

What it does:

Masking

At a glance

Here's our breakdown of what exactly Citric Acid is, what it's benefits are, and what it's concerns are.

What it is:

Form of AHA

AHAs (or Alpha Hydroxy Acids) remove dead skin cells from the surface of the skin.

Concerns:

Can worsen Dry Skin

Dry skin is often characterized by redness, itchiness, tightness, flaking, peeling, and cracking. Dryness can be caused by a variety of factors: genetics, over-exfoliating, climate, diet, age, and skin conditions.

May cause Irritation

Skin irritation can arise from a number of reasons: very dry skin, sensitivity to certain ingredients, allergies, dermatitis, bug bites, eczema, rosacea, and illness are common factors.

Where it's used

Citric Acid is most often found as ingredient number 21 within an ingredient list.

Of the 5 products in our database that have a known concentration of Citric Acid, we've seen concentrations from 0.01% to 3.6% specified within their ingredient lists.

It is currently used 26250 times inside of skincare routines on SkinSort.