Cottonseed Acid

What Is It?

Gossypium Herbaceum (Cotton) Seed Oil (also called Cottonseed Oil) is the fixed oil expressed from the seeds of cotton. It is a pale yellow oil. Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil is a soft, white material made from cottonseed oil. The fatty acids from Cottonseed Oil are called Cottonseed Acid. Monoglycerides made from Cottonseed Oil are called Cottonseed Glyceride. When hydrogenated, this material is called Hydrogenated Cottonseed Glyceride. In cosmetics and personal care products, Cottonseed Oil and ingredients made from Cottonseed Oil may be used in the formulation of skin cleansing products, eye makeup, other makeup products, as well as skin and hair care products.

Why Is It Used?

When used in cosmetics and personal care products, the following functions have been reported for Cottonseed Oil and the ingredients made from Cottonseed Oil.

  • Skin conditioning agent – emollient – Cottonseed Glyceride
  • Skin conditioning agent – occlusive – Gossypium Herbaceum (Cotton) Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil
  • Surfactants – cleansing agents – Cottonseed Acid
  • Surfactants – emulsifying agents – Cottonseed Glyceride, Hydrogenated Cottonseed Glyceride
  • Viscosity increasing agent – nonaqueous – Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil

Scientific Facts

Cottonseed Oil is a vegetable oil extracted from the seeds of the cotton plant after the cotton lint has been removed. It must be refined to remove gossypol, a naturally occurring toxin that protects the cotton plant from insect damage. In its natural unhydrogenated state, Cottonseed Oil, like all vegetable oils, has no cholesterol. It also contains no trans fatty acids. However, it does contain over 50% Omega-6 fatty acids and only trace amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids. Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil has been used in margarine, shortening and cooking oil.

Safety Information

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permits polyglyceryl esters of fatty acids derived from Cotton Seed Oil to be added to food. Cottonseed Oil is also allowed to be used as a defoaming agent in paper and paperboard that comes into contact with food. The safety of Gossypium Herbaceum (Cotton) Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil, Cottonseed Acid, Cottonseed Glyceryide and Hydrogenated Cottonseed Glyceride has been assessed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel. The CIR Expert Panel evaluated the scientific data and concluded that Gossypium Herbaceum (Cotton) Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil, Cottonseed Acid, Cottonseed Glyceride, and Hydrogenated Cottonseed Glyceride were safe as used in cosmetics and personal care products, provided that limits on gossypol, heavy metals, and pesticide concentrations were not exceeded.

CIR Safety Review: The CIR Expert Panel was of the opinion that of Gossypium Herbaceum (Cotton) Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil, Cottonseed Acid, Cottonseed Glyceryide and Hydrogenated Cottonseed Glyceride may be used safely in cosmetics and personal care products. Cottonseed Oil was nontoxic in acute oral toxicity studies. Cottonseed Oil used as vehicles in two injection expsoure studies produced negative results. An oral reproductive study reported no adverse effects on sexual maturity and reproductive performance of the parental generation; changes were noted in the offspring but reproductive capacity was not altered. Injection exposure reproductive studies of Cottonseed Oil reported no adverse effects.

Cottonseed Oil was not mutagenic. Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil tested in formulation did not produce dermal or ocular irritation. Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil in formulation was neither an irritant nor sensitizer in clinical studies. The CIR Expert Panel recognized the need to limit the presence of gossypol, heavy metals, and/or polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) or pesticide contamination.

Gossypol (a natural toxin) was limited to a concentration of less than 450 ppm based on the Code of Federal Regulations – limit on modified cottonseed products intended for human consumption. The values for lead (less than or equal to 0.1 ppm) were adopted from the CIR final reports for ingredients derived from lard and limitations for arsenic (less than or equal to 3 ppm) and mercury (less than or equal to 1 ppm) were adopted from the CIR final report for Acid Violet 43. The CIR Expert Panel limited the total PCB/pesticide content to not more than 3 ppm, with not more than 1 ppm for any specific residue. The CIR Expert Panel recognized that these limits were developed for uses other than cosmetics, but considers such limits would assure that any cosmetics and personal care products with these ingredients can be used safely.

FDA: Link to the Code of Federal Regulations for Cottonseed Oil

FDA: Link to the Code of Federal Regulations for modified cottonseed products
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr…

Gossypium Herbaceum (Cotton) Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil, Cottonseed Acid, Cottonseed Glyceryide and Hydrogenated Cottonseed Glyceride may be used in cosmetics and personal care products marketed in Europe according to the general provisions of the Cosmetics Regulation of the European Union.

Link to the EU Cosmetic Regulation: 
http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/consumers/product_labelling_and_p…

More Scientific Information

Cottonseed Oil is rich in palmitic acid (22-26%), oleic acid (15-20%), linoleic acid (49-58%) and 10% mixture of arachidic acid, behenic acid and lignoceric acid. It also contains about 1% sterculic acids and malvalic acids in the crude oil. The cyclopropene acids are undesirable components, but they are largely removed during refining, particularly deodorization, and also during hydrogenation. They are not considered to present any health hazard in cottonseed oil.

Resources

Find out more about the regulation of Food Additives by the Food and Drug Administration

Food Ingredients and Packaging: http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/default.htm

Food Contact Substances: http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/PackagingFCS/defaul…

Substances Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS): http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/GRAS/default.htm

Search the Code of Federal Regulations http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm

EU Cosmetics Inventory http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/cosmetics/cosing/