What is it?
A natural compound found in cereal grains and legumes, and present in practically all mammalian cells. For commercial use it is extracted from rice bran or corn. In cosmetics and oral care products it acts as a chelating agent: it binds trace metal ions, which helps keep a formula stable. Its salt, sodium phytate, is used the same way.
Key information
- Phytic acid is a natural chelating agent extracted from rice bran or corn.
- The CIR Expert Panel concluded in its 2024 final report that it is safe in the present practices of use and concentration.
- Reported use in leave-on cosmetics has been up to 2 percent.
- Its "anti-nutrient" reputation concerns mineral absorption from food, not skin products.
More information
In one described production method, acid is used to extract phytic acid from rice bran or corn, and the extract is then purified and concentrated into a 50 percent solution. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel reviewed it with related “polyol phosphates” and, in a final report published in 2024, concluded that phytic acid, sodium phytate, phytin and trisodium inositol triphosphate are safe in the present practices of use and concentration. In the use survey the panel reviewed for its 2018 draft, phytic acid appeared at up to 2 percent in leave-on products.
The concentrated raw material is harsh: in a laboratory skin-model test, a 50 percent solution was expected to be severely irritating or possibly corrosive. Finished products are far more dilute. A moisturizer containing 5 percent phytic acid caused no allergic reactions in a repeat patch test on 110 people, and products containing 1 percent caused no significant irritation or allergy. For food use, the FDA has said it has no questions about a company’s conclusion that phytic acid is generally recognized as safe (GRAS).
You may see phytic acid called an “anti-nutrient.” That refers to diet: in cereals and legumes it binds minerals such as zinc, iron and calcium and can reduce how much the body absorbs, and soaking, fermenting and sprouting lower it. That is a question about food, not about skin care.
On labels, look for phytic acid or sodium phytate.
Sources: International Journal of Toxicology (2024), via PubMed: Safety assessment of polyol phosphates as used in cosmetics; Cosmetic Ingredient Review: Safety assessment of polyol phosphates, tentative report (2018); Food Science and Biotechnology (2023): Enhancing micronutrient absorption through simultaneous fortification and phytic acid degradation