The ingredient, explained

Boric Acid

A published safety assessment explicitly covers BORIC ACID.

AntimicrobialBufferingDenaturant

Explore connections

Ingredient guide

What it is and what it does

Boric acid

About this ingredient: EU CosIng ingredient registry (via Open Beauty Facts taxonomy) ↗

Antimicrobial: A technical role associated with controlling microorganisms on skin.
Buffering: Helps resist changes in a formula's pH.
Denaturant: Makes a product unpalatable, often in alcohol-containing formulas.

Function definitions: European Commission ingredient function definitions (SCCNFP/0299/00, pages 16 to 20) ↗

Registry functions describe possible formulation roles, not results for a finished product. A dictionary entry is not an approval or a safety assessment.

A closer look

What the research shows

Safety assessment

The published historical assessment reviews boric-acid toxicology and skin absorption, including poisoning and infant-exposure literature.

What this does not tell us

Published safety assessment, not an efficacy trial. Its conclusion is limited to the reported cosmetic uses and concentrations, and relies partly on group read-across where individual data are missing. It does not establish current regulatory status or guarantee tolerance for every formulation. The source is a safety review, not a benefit trial. A newer 2024 re-review surfaced as panel-consideration material and was not used as a finalized assessment; no current regulatory or blanket safety conclusion is asserted.

Sources for this summary. DOI 10.3109/10915818309142004 ↗

Research review checked Oct 1, 2026

Read exact local candidate abstracts first; select identity-relevant papers; targeted primary PubMed/publisher searches. This is not an exhaustive systematic review.