What is it?
An extract of the fruit of the bergamot orange, Citrus bergamia, a citrus tree endemic to the Calabria region of Italy and considered a hybrid of bitter orange and lemon. Bergamot fruit is best known as the source of bergamot essential oil, pressed from the peel. The fruit extract is a different ingredient, used in skin and hair care as a skin-conditioning agent.
Key information
- The CIR Expert Panel concluded that citrus fruit extracts, including bergamot fruit extract, are safe when formulated to be non-sensitizing and non-irritating, provided leave-on products contain no more than 15 ppm of 5-MOP (bergapten).
- A lotion with 0.08 percent bergamot fruit extract caused no sensitization in a human patch test and no reactions when the skin was then exposed to UVA and UVB light.
- Bergamot fruit extract was reported in 24 cosmetic products, at concentrations up to 0.82 percent.
- Bergamot's reputation for sun reactions comes from furocoumarins such as bergapten, which occur in its essential oil.
More information
Bergamot fruit is grown mainly for the essential oil obtained by rasping and cold-pressing the peel, which is used in perfumes, cosmetics, foods and sweets. The juice was long treated as a by-product of the oil industry. Bergamot fruit extract is an extract of the fruit and is a separate ingredient from bergamot oil.
In a final report released in 2016, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel assessed 80 citrus fruit-derived ingredients, including bergamot fruit extract. It concluded that they are safe in rinse-off and leave-on products when formulated to be non-sensitizing and non-irritating, provided leave-on products contain no more than 0.0015 percent (15 ppm) of 5-methoxypsoralen (5-MOP, also called bergapten). A lotion containing 0.08 percent bergamot fruit extract did not cause sensitization in a human repeat insult patch test and produced no reactions in people whose skin was then exposed to UVA and UVB light. The extract was reported in 24 products, at up to 0.82 percent.
The concern with citrus is phototoxicity: furocoumarins such as bergapten can make skin react to sunlight. Bergamot essential oil naturally contains bergapten, which is why a furocoumarin-free grade is made for perfumery and cosmetics. The CIR Panel agreed that following the International Fragrance Association’s limit for 5-MOP will prevent phototoxicity, and it asked formulators to watch the combined levels of constituents such as limonene, citral and furocoumarins when several botanical ingredients are combined.
On labels the extract appears as Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Extract. Bergamot essential oil is listed under a different name and is a separate ingredient.
Sources: CIR: Safety Assessment of Citrus Fruit-Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics (final report, 2016); Frontiers in Pharmacology (2015): Citrus bergamia essential oil, from basic research to clinical application
