What is it?
An extract of banana fruit, listed on labels under the botanical name Musa sapientum. Bananas are one of the most widely eaten foods in the world. The pulp is rich in starch, fiber, potassium and vitamins, and bananas also contain carotenoids, polyphenols and dopamine, which has antioxidant activity in lab tests. In cosmetics the extract is listed as a skin-conditioning ingredient.
Key information
- Banana allergy affects an estimated 0.04 to 1.2 percent of the general population.
- About 30 to 50 percent of people allergic to natural rubber latex also react to some plant foods, especially fresh fruits such as banana, avocado, chestnut and kiwi.
- We found no safety assessment of banana fruit extract by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review or the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety.
More information
Bananas (Musa species) are among the world’s most popular food crops. A 2023 review describes banana pulp as rich in starch, fiber, vitamins C and A, potassium and other minerals, and notes that some species, including Musa sapientum, have high levels of dopamine in the pulp. Banana extracts show antioxidant activity in laboratory tests, credited to carotenoids, flavonoids, other polyphenols and dopamine.
The main safety question is allergy. Estimates of banana allergy range from 0.04 to 1.2 percent of the general population, and reactions range from oral allergy syndrome to anaphylaxis. At least five banana proteins have been linked with cross-reactivity to other fruits, latex and pollens. In a 2023 study of 133 adults with banana allergy in Thailand, reactions to other plant foods were common, most often to kiwi and avocado.
Banana is also part of the latex-fruit syndrome. About 30 to 50 percent of people allergic to natural rubber latex react to some plant foods, especially fresh fruits, because look-alike proteins cross-react; class I chitinases in fruits such as banana resemble hevein, a major latex allergen. We found no safety assessment of banana fruit extract by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) or the EU’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, and no published reports of reactions to it in cosmetics. How much allergenic protein a given extract carries is not known.
People with banana or latex allergy can look for Musa Sapientum Fruit Extract on labels.
Sources: Foods (2023): Not Just a Banana: The Extent of Fruit Cross-Reactivity and Reaction Severity in Adults with Banana Allergy; Biochemical Society Transactions (2002): The latex-fruit syndrome; Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine (2023): Antioxidant and anti-atherosclerotic potential of Banana (Musa spp): A review of biological mechanisms
