What is it?
An emulsifier made from glycerin, stearic acid (a fatty acid) and citric acid. Chemically it is glyceryl stearate that has been further joined to citric acid. It helps oil and water blend into smooth, stable creams and lotions and leaves skin feeling soft. Its food counterpart, citric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides, is an approved food emulsifier (E 472c). It is not made with ethylene oxide.
Key information
- Glyceryl stearate citrate is made from glycerin, stearic acid and citric acid; it is not ethoxylated and is not a PEG.
- The CIR Expert Panel concluded in 2007 that it is safe as used and reaffirmed that conclusion in 2022.
- In 2022 it was reported in 164 cosmetic products at up to 4 percent, including a few baby products.
- EFSA found no need for a numerical acceptable daily intake for its food counterpart, E 472c.
More information
It is made much like its food counterpart. EFSA describes citric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides (E 472c) as made either by esterifying glycerol with citric acid and edible fatty acids, or by reacting a mix of mono- and diglycerides with citric acid at about 125 to 155°C, after which the product may be partly or fully neutralized. No ethylene oxide is used.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel assessed glyceryl stearate citrate with other glyceryl diesters in 2007. It concluded they are safe as used, provided the content of 1,2-diesters is not high enough to cause epidermal hyperplasia, a thickening of the skin’s outer layer. That proviso comes from studies of certain 1,2-diglycerides that activate a skin enzyme; the report notes that 1,2-diglycerides with two saturated fatty acids, or with long-chain fatty acids, appear less active. In its 2022 re-review, the Panel considered new long-term, reproductive and tumor-promotion studies, all with negative results, and reaffirmed its conclusion. By then glyceryl stearate citrate was reported in 164 products at up to 4 percent.
EFSA’s 2020 re-evaluation of these esters as food additives found that they are broken down in the body into their component parts and saw no need for a numerical acceptable daily intake for E 472c. It noted that EU specifications did not yet set limits for processing contaminants such as glycidyl esters and 3-MCPD esters.
On labels it appears as “glyceryl stearate citrate.” Unlike emulsifiers named with PEG or -eth-, it is not an ethoxylated ingredient.
Sources: Cosmetic Ingredient Review: Rereview summaries, December 2022 (glyceryl diesters); International Journal of Toxicology (2007): Amended final report on the safety assessment of glyceryl diesters, including glyceryl stearate citrate; EFSA: Re-evaluation of acetic, lactic, citric and tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E 472a-f) (2020)
