What does Castor oil do?

Used in cosmetics as a skin-conditioning agent and a fragrance ingredient. Ricinus Communis Root Extract is the extract of the roots of the Castor, Ricinus communis, Euphorbiaceae.

Moderate concern: no hazard classifications on record. It is listed for cosmetic use in the EU.

beauty
cleaning
food
industrial

Castor oil

CAS 8013-56-7 · 40/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 11 other CAS numbers

8015-57-4 · 8021-37-2 · 8036-08-6 · 8041-22-3 · 8041-95-0 · 89958-32-7 · 151438-72-1 · 898831-11-3 · 2641325-54-2 · 2924230-64-6 · 8001-79-4

Concern score

40/100Moderate concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Castor oil in plain language

What it is: On cosmetic ingredient lists it appears as “Ricinus communis root extract”.
Also known as Ricinus communis root extract · Ricinus communis seed oil · Oleum ricini · Ricinus communis fibre oil · Ricinus communis oil · Ricinus oil
Show all 86 names
Ricinus communis (castor) seed oil · Agaliya oil · Bimayou · Castor seed oil · Castorbean oil · Cataputia major oil · Cataputia minor oil · Croton spinosus oil · E-1503 · Ins NO.1503 · INS-1503 · Lama palagi oil · Maskerekur oil · Ricinus africanus oil · Ricinus angulatus oil · Ricinus armatus oil · Ricinus atropurpureus oil · Ricinus badius oil · Ricinus borboniensis oil · Ricinus cambodgensis oil · Ricinus compactus oil · Ricinus digitatus oil · Ricinus europaeus oil · Ricinus gibsonii oil · Ricinus giganteus oil · Ricinus glaucus oil · Ricinus hybridus oil · Ricinus inermis oil · Ricinus japonicus oil · Ricinus krappa oil · Ricinus laevis oil · Ricinus lividus oil · Ricinus macrocarpus oil · Ricinus macrophyllus oil · Ricinus medicus oil · Ricinus medius oil · Ricinus messeniacus oil · Ricinus metallicus oil · Ricinus microcarpus oil · Ricinus minor oil · Ricinus nanus oil · Ricinus obermannii oil · Ricinus peltatus oil · Ricinus perennis oil · Ricinus persicus oil · Ricinus purpurascens oil · Ricinus ruber oil · Ricinus rugosus oil · Ricinus rutilans oil · Ricinus sanguineus oil · Ricinus scaber oil · Ricinus speciosus oil · Ricinus spectabilis oil · Ricinus tunisensis oil · Ricinus undulatus oil · Ricinus urens oil · Ricinus viridis oil · Ricinus vulgaris oil · Ricinus zanzibarensis oil · Ricinus zanzibarinus · Toto ni vavalagi oil · Uluchula skoki oil · 3 Castor Oil · Aromatic castor oil · Caster Oil · Castor oil 3 · Crystal O · Fats and Glyceridic oils, castor · Fats and Glyceridic oils, ricin · Ricinus communis (castor) root extract · aceite de ricino · castor oil (containing ingredients 2-6) · castor oil (described on tir.acas no from msds) · castor oil (mfr's cas no:141-23-1) · castor oil (not considered a hazardous material) · castor oil. vp: n/a. lel: n/a. · ricini oleum · triricinoleoyl glycerol · Emulsion castor oil · Castor oil,emulsion,flavored
What it does: Used in cosmetics as a skin-conditioning agent and a fragrance ingredient. Ricinus Communis Root Extract is the extract of the roots of the Castor, Ricinus communis, Euphorbiaceae.
Skin conditioning
Perfuming
Fragrance
Carrier solvent, release agent
Humectant
Solvent
Is it a concern?: Moderate concern: no hazard classifications on record. It is listed for cosmetic use in the EU.

Why it's flagged

EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 3040 composition records across product categories including Home maintenance, Industrial products, Vehicle.

The score describes this ingredient's chemical identity — its hazard profile from published classifications and regulatory status — not the safety of any product it appears in.

Regulation

No restrictions found. Castor oil appears in these published regulatory listings.

In marketed US drugs
Inactive ingredient in US drugs

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Beauty
Cleaning
Pharma
Food
Industrial

USFDAinactive ingredient database16 entries — 6 administration routes
- Route: NASAL; Dosage form: GEL; Maximum daily exposure: 429 mgSource →
- Route: NASAL; Dosage form: SPRAY; Potency: NASource →
- Route: OPHTHALMIC; Dosage form: EMULSION; Maximum daily exposure: 32 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: CAPSULE; Potency: 1.04 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: CAPSULE, EXTENDED RELEASE; Maximum daily exposure: 47 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: GRANULE, FOR SUSPENSION; Maximum daily exposure: 128 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: TABLET; Maximum daily exposure: 17 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: TABLET, COATED; Potency: 0.9 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: TABLET, DELAYED RELEASE; Potency: 0.01 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: TABLET, EXTENDED RELEASE; Potency: 23.27 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: TABLET, FILM COATED; Potency: 15.29 mgSource →
- Route: SUBLINGUAL; Dosage form: TABLET; Potency: 1.6 mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: OINTMENT; Potency: 14.9 %w/wSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: SOLUTION; Potency: 1.38 %w/wSource →
- Route: INTRAMUSCULAR; Dosage form: INJECTION, SOLUTION; Maximum daily exposure: 525 mgSource →
- Route: INTRAMUSCULAR; Dosage form: INJECTION; Maximum daily exposure: 885 mgSource →
EUCosIngActive2 entries
- Ricinus Communis Root Extract is the extract of the roots of the Castor, Ricinus communis, EuphorbiaceaeSource →
- Ricinus Communis Seed Oil is the fixed oil obtained from the seeds of Castor, Ricinus communis, EuphorbiaceaeSource →
USFDAmarketed drug occurrence2 entries
- FDA NDC lists this ingredient in 29 active drug products and 29 total products.Source →
- FDA NDC lists this ingredient in 2 active drug products and 2 total products.Source →
GLOBALJECFAEvaluatedJECFA evaluation record.
- JECFA evaluation record.Source →
GLOBALJECFA0-0.7 mg/kg bwJECFA evaluation lists ADI 0-0.7 mg/kg bw. Functional class: carrier solvent, release agent.
- JECFA evaluation lists ADI 0-0.7 mg/kg bw. Functional class: carrier solvent, release agent.Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 3040 composition records across product categories including Home maintenance, Industrial products, Vehicle. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Softener and conditioner, Botanical, Deodorizer.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 3040 composition records across product categories including Home maintenance, Industrial products, Vehicle. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Softener and conditioner, Botanical, Deodorizer.Source →
USFDAlisted in openFDA substanceopenFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as structurallydiverse.
- openFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as structurallydiverse.Source →

Expert safety opinions

Independent scientific assessments cited by the records we hold, with the year and link where the record gives one.

SCCS
EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety
No SCCS opinion on file.
CIR
Cosmetic Ingredient Review (US expert panel)
No CIR safety assessment on file.
JECFA
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives
- JECFA evaluation record.
  Year not recorded · GLOBAL JECFA listing · Read the source →
- JECFA evaluation lists ADI 0-0.7 mg/kg bw. Functional class: carrier solvent, release agent.
  Year not recorded · GLOBAL JECFA listing · Read the source →

Evidence & sources

No graded research studies for Castor oil yet. This record is compiled from the published data sources below — registries and regulatory listings, not study findings.

8 data sources

Where this comes from

CosIng
regulatory · updated 2026-09-23
Open →
EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated may 11, 2017
Open →
EPA DSSTox Identifiers
chemistry · updated 2025-12-29
Open →
FDA Inactive Ingredient Database
regulatory · updated 2026-01-09
Open →
FDA National Drug Code Directory
regulatory · updated 2027-12-31
Open →
FDA GSRS UNII
registry · updated 2026-02-26
Open →
WHO JECFA Database
regulatory · updated 2026-10-04
Open →
openFDA Substance
registry · updated 2026-05-24
Open →

Reference links (1)

Openfda substance

en.wikipedia.org

Read →

Allergen profile

Canonical allergen markers detected on this ingredient. Each row is derived from the ingredient’s name or synonyms matching a known allergen class — useful when scanning a label for a specific allergy context.

SoyContains · Oral (ingested)
Source: chemindex_name_match
WheatContains · Oral (ingested)
Source: chemindex_name_match

Suitability

Context-specific fit derived from published classifications and the current ingredient evidence profile.

Food use

Food-use source coverage is present in the current record.

Good fit

The ingredient appears in food-oriented source coverage or allowed-use references, which makes food use easier to support than a context with no domain signal at all.

Fragrance avoidance

Not a strong fit for fragrance avoidance because it carries Fragrance.

Avoid

The ingredient itself is a fragrance-linked signal, so it is better treated as an avoid case when fragrance exposure is the main concern.

Where it has been recorded

How often EPA CPDat has listed Castor oil in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.

Source records

3,040

Named organisations

Home maintenanceIndustrial productsVehicleSpecialty occupational productsPersonal careLaboratory supplies

Typical roles

Skin conditioningPerfumingFragranceCarrier solvent, release agentHumectantSolvent

See products using Castor oil →

Catalog

Found in these products

Their ingredient lists include Castor oil; each product's own rating depends on its whole formula, so it is shown on the product page, not here.

See all 493 →Find products without it →