What is it?
An extract of the fruit of the red raspberry, Rubus idaeus, a plant in the rose family. Raspberries are rich in fiber and vitamin C, and they get their red color from anthocyanins; they also contain ellagitannins, a group of plant tannins. In skin care, the EU cosmetic ingredient database lists the extract as astringent, keratolytic (loosening dead surface skin), skin conditioning, smoothing and tonic. It is a different ingredient from raspberry seed oil.
Key information
- Red raspberries provide 6.5 grams of dietary fiber per 100 grams of fresh fruit, among the highest of any whole food.
- Their main polyphenols are anthocyanins, which give the berries their red color, and ellagitannins such as sanguiin H6 and lambertianin C.
- Two raspberry proteins, Rub i 1 and Rub i 3, are recognized food allergens.
- We found no safety review of raspberry fruit extract by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review or the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety.
More information
Red raspberries are among the highest whole-food sources of dietary fiber, at 6.5 grams per 100 grams of fresh fruit, and they also supply vitamin C (about 26 milligrams per 100 grams of raw fruit), magnesium, potassium and vitamin K, according to a 2016 review in Advances in Nutrition. Their polyphenols are mainly anthocyanins, the pigments behind the red color, and ellagitannins, tannins that release ellagic acid when they break down. How much of each ends up in a cosmetic extract depends on the solvent and process used.
Raspberry fruit extract has not had a dedicated safety review by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel or the EU’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, and its entry in the EU cosmetic ingredient database (CosIng) carries no restrictions. We found no published skin irritation or allergy tests of the extract and no reports of reactions to it in cosmetics. Raspberries are a common food, which is the main basis for considering the extract low risk.
The main safety question is allergy. The WHO/IUIS allergen database lists two raspberry allergens: Rub i 1, a protein related to the major birch pollen allergen, and Rub i 3, a lipid transfer protein. People who know they react to raspberries can look for Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Fruit Extract on labels. Raspberry seed oil (Rubus Idaeus Seed Oil) is a separate ingredient made from the seeds.
Sources: European Commission CosIng: Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract; Advances in Nutrition (2016): Red raspberries and their bioactive polyphenols: cardiometabolic and neuronal health links; Allergologie Select (2026): Allergens from plant-based food allergen sources and their clinical and diagnostic relevance
