What is it?
An extract of the fruit of the vanilla orchid, Vanilla planifolia, the pods that are cured and sold as vanilla beans. It carries vanilla’s warm scent; vanillin is its best-known aroma compound, though it makes up only a few percent of the extract. In cosmetics it is listed as a skin-conditioning ingredient and is used in lotions, face creams, lip products, cleansers and hair care. Vanilla extract made with alcohol is also the familiar kitchen flavoring.
Key information
- The CIR Expert Panel concluded in 2020 that vanilla fruit extract is safe as used when formulated to be non-sensitizing.
- Reported use levels were up to 0.33 percent in leave-on and 0.25 percent in rinse-off products.
- Vanillin is on the EU list of fragrance allergens that must be named on labels above set levels.
- Cosmetic vanilla extracts are often supplied diluted in propylene glycol or butylene glycol.
More information
Vanilla extracts are made by running a solvent through ground pods. For food, the usual solvent is a mix of alcohol and water, and U.S. rules require vanilla extract to contain at least 35 percent alcohol by volume. Cosmetic grades are often much more dilute: one trade material described to the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) contained 1 to 2 percent vanilla extract in roughly equal parts water and propylene glycol.
In 2020 the CIR Expert Panel reviewed nine vanilla-derived ingredients and concluded that vanilla fruit extract is safe in the present practices of use and concentration when formulated to be non-sensitizing. It was reported in 383 products, at up to 0.33 percent in leave-on and 0.25 percent in rinse-off products. A leave-on product with 0.02 percent vanilla fruit extract caused no irritation or allergy in a patch test of 108 people. The Panel pointed to natural constituents that are known skin sensitizers, including benzyl alcohol, benzaldehyde, cinnamaldehyde and limonene, and asked formulators who combine several botanicals to keep their total in check.
Vanilla allergy does occur, mostly in people already allergic to balsam of Peru: in one study, 34 of 73 such patients reacted to pieces of vanilla pod. Case reports include bakery workers and a person with lip dermatitis. The EU now lists vanillin among the fragrance allergens that must be named on labels above 0.001 percent in leave-on or 0.01 percent in rinse-off products.
On labels, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract comes from real vanilla; synthetic or artificial vanilla is not made from the vanilla plant. A vanilla scent listed only as fragrance or parfum could be either; see our Fragrances/Parfum profile. Because the extract usually comes in a carrier, check the rest of the list too: propylene glycol and butylene glycol are rated Red Light by the Foundation.
Sources: CIR: Safety Assessment of Vanilla-Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics (2020); Official Journal of the EU: Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 on labelling of fragrance allergens; Legal Information Institute: 21 CFR 169.175, Vanilla extract
