INCI names / Citric acid
Citric acid INCI name
The INCI name for citric acid is Citric Acid. A lotion, balm or bath product lists it by that name. In cold-process soap it reacts with the lye and ends up as a citrate (sodium citrate, or potassium citrate with potassium hydroxide), so the tools list it as added and flag it for you to check.
| In lotions, balms and other cosmetics | Citric Acid |
|---|---|
| In cold-process soap | It reacts with the lye and ends up as a citrate (sodium citrate, or potassium citrate with potassium hydroxide). The tools list it as added, "Citric Acid", following Article 19(1)(g) of the Cosmetics Regulation ("at the time they are added"), and flag it for you to check. To name what the bar holds instead, add inci: with that name to the line. |
| On a US label | Citric Acid |
| In Great Britain and Northern Ireland | The same name as the EU. Northern Ireland uses the EU glossary cited below; Great Britain still uses the glossary it kept from the EU, where the name has another entry number. |
| What it is used for (CosIng) | buffering, chelating, fragrance |
Glossary citation: Citric Acid #6611 (Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1175 on EUR-Lex).
In the soap or skincare tool, put it on its own line with its weight, for example "citric acid, 5", and the tool prints the name for the region you choose.
Transcribed from the EU glossary of common ingredient names (Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1175) and checked against it; the US names are the ones FDA's substance registry (GSRS) records, and the uses are those CosIng, the Commission's cosmetic ingredient database, lists. A labelling reference.