What is it?
An extract of the fruit of the coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, made by extracting the fruit with water, glycerin, a glycol or a plant oil. It is a different ingredient from coconut oil: one supplier’s water-based extract was, apart from water, about three-quarters sugars, with minerals and a little protein. It is used as a skin- and hair-conditioning ingredient in moisturizers, soaps, shampoos and conditioners.
Key information
- The CIR Expert Panel concluded that coconut fruit extract is safe in the present practices of use and concentration.
- It was reported in 469 cosmetic products in 2020, far more than any other coconut ingredient reviewed alongside it.
- Supplier tests found no pesticide residues or aflatoxins and only trace levels of some metals.
- It is a different ingredient from coconut oil, which the Foundation profiles separately.
More information
Coconut fruit extract is made by extracting the fruit with water, glycerin, butylene glycol, propylene glycol or safflower seed oil to make a concentrate, which is then diluted and preserved. The edible part of the coconut is the endosperm: liquid “coconut water” in young fruit and white coconut meat in mature fruit.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel assessed the fruit extract together with other coconut-derived ingredients. In its 2020 tentative report it concluded that the extract is safe in the present practices of use and concentration, and in the final report, published in 2023, only coconut shell powder was left without enough data to judge. The Panel noted that there were few toxicity studies on coconut fruit ingredients, but said that concern was offset by manufacturing, composition and impurity data, by coconut’s wide use as food and by clinical experience. In human patch tests, products containing coconut fruit, coconut fruit juice or coconut liquid endosperm caused no irritation or allergy.
Suppliers reported no detectable pesticide residues or aflatoxins in their extracts and only trace amounts of metals such as arsenic and nickel, at around 0.1 ppm. One supplier also found the 26 fragrance allergens then listed by the EU below threshold levels.
On labels it appears as Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract. Some grades are made with propylene glycol or butylene glycol, both rated Red Light by the Foundation, so read the whole list. It should not be confused with coconut oil or with coconut-derived cleansers such as sodium cocoate, which have their own profiles.
Sources: CIR: Safety Assessment of Cocos nucifera (Coconut)-Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics (tentative report, 2020); International Journal of Toxicology (2023): Safety Assessment of Cocos nucifera (Coconut)-Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics
