What is it?
An extract of watermelon, Citrullus lanatus, a fruit of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae) that originated in equatorial Africa and has been cultivated for more than 5,000 years. The fruit is mostly water, with natural sugars, vitamin C, the red pigment lycopene and the amino acid L-citrulline. In cosmetics the extract is used as a skin-conditioning ingredient.
Key information
- Watermelon pulp is 85 to 95 percent water.
- Red watermelon pulp contains 4.4 to 8.0 mg of lycopene per 100 g, and the rind holds more L-citrulline than the pulp.
- Watermelon contains a profilin, Citr l 2, that is listed among recognized plant food allergens.
- We found no safety assessment of watermelon fruit extract by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review or the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety.
More information
By weight, a watermelon is about 68 percent pulp, 30 percent rind and 2 percent seeds. The pulp is 85 to 95 percent water and 5.7 to 9.2 percent sugars, including fructose, glucose and sucrose. It also provides vitamin C (about 8 to 12 mg per 100 g), lycopene in red-fleshed varieties, and L-citrulline, an amino acid found at 40 to 160 mg per 100 g in red pulp and at even higher levels in the rind. Researchers have also identified flavonoids such as apigenin, quercetin and luteolin, and compounds called cucurbitacins.
Watermelon is a common food, and we found no published reports of skin reactions to watermelon extract in cosmetics. We also found no safety assessment of the fruit extract by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) or the EU’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety. Like many fruits, watermelon contains a profilin (Citr l 2), a protein listed among recognized plant food allergens; profilin allergies can arise from cross-reactions with pollen.
On labels look for Citrullus Lanatus (Watermelon) Fruit Extract. Watermelon seed oil is a separate ingredient.
Sources: Nutrients (2025): Watermelon nutritional composition with a focus on L-citrulline and its cardioprotective health effects, a narrative review; Allergologie Select (2026): Allergens from plant-based food allergen sources and their clinical and diagnostic relevance
