What is it?
An ingredient made from the starchy root (tuber) of cassava (Manihot esculenta), also called manioc or yuca, the plant tapioca comes from and an important staple food in parts of the world. An extract of the root is broken down (hydrolyzed) with acid, enzymes or another method into smaller components. In cosmetics it is listed in the European Union as a skin-conditioning ingredient.
Key information
- Hydrolyzed cassava tuber extract is an extract of cassava root that has been broken down by acid, enzymes or another method.
- Cassava roots contain linamarin, which can release cyanide when the plant is crushed, so the roots must be processed before they are eaten.
- That concern comes from eating cassava; we found no reports of problems from cassava extracts on skin.
- It has not been reviewed on its own by the CIR or the EU's SCCS, and the EU places no restrictions on it.
More information
Cassava roots naturally contain cyanogenic glycosides, mainly linamarin. When the plant tissue is crushed, an enzyme in the plant breaks these compounds down and releases hydrogen cyanide. The World Health Organization’s food additives committee (JECFA) notes that cassava is toxic if it is not adequately detoxified during processing or preparation. Its review also describes studies associating long-term diets of poorly processed cassava with nerve disorders in parts of Africa, though it cautions that nutritional deficiencies confound those links. Processing lowers cyanogen levels in cassava foods, and plant scientists have also developed low-cyanogen cassava.
Those concerns come from eating cassava rather than from applying an extract to the skin. Hydrolyzed cassava tuber extract has not been assessed on its own by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review or the EU’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, and its EU cosmetic ingredient listing (CosIng) carries no restrictions. We found no published measurements of cyanogen levels in cosmetic cassava extracts, and no reports of skin reactions to this ingredient.
On labels, look for “hydrolyzed Manihot esculenta tuber extract.”
Sources: European Commission CosIng: Hydrolyzed Manihot Esculenta Tuber Extract; WHO/JECFA: Cyanogenic glycosides (WHO Food Additives Series 30); Journal of AOAC International (2007), via PubMed: Transgenic approaches for cyanogen reduction in cassava
