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Citric Acid

What Citric Acid is & what it does

An alpha-hydroxy acid most often used to adjust and stabilize a formula's pH, with mild exfoliating and brightening benefits at higher levels. It is gentle in small amounts.

What does Citric Acid do in sunscreen?

In most sunscreens citric acid is present in tiny amounts as a pH adjuster: it fine-tunes the formula's acidity so it is skin-friendly and the other ingredients stay stable. At those levels it is not acting as an exfoliant.

Is Citric Acid safe?

Yes. At the small, pH-balancing amounts used here it is safe and non-irritating. It is the same acid found naturally in citrus fruit.

Does Citric Acid exfoliate the skin?

It can at higher concentrations (it is an AHA), but in a sunscreen it is used at trace levels purely to balance pH, so it will not meaningfully exfoliate.

Is Citric Acid natural?

In origin, yes: the same acid is found in citrus fruit, and cosmetic grade is typically produced by fermenting sugar with a mould. It is naturally derived, used in tiny amounts mainly to balance the formula's pH.

Is Citric Acid safe to use during pregnancy?

Citric acid has no known pregnancy concern at the tiny, pH-balancing amounts used in a sunscreen. It is not acting as an exfoliant at those levels, just fine-tuning the formula.

Sunscreens with Citric Acid

We rate 1889 sunscreens that contain it, showing the top 10 by overall score:

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