Saccharum Officinarum (Sugarcane) Extract
Also known as Sugarcane Extract, Sugar Cane Extract, Saccharum officinarum extract
“CIR Expert Panel says: safe as used in cosmetics.”
The CIR Expert Panel assessed four Saccharum officinarum (sugarcane)-derived ingredients (Bagasse Powder, Extract, Juice Extract, Wax) and concluded all four are safe in present practices of use and concentration (Final Report 12/2021; peer-reviewed publication Ferguson et al., IJT 2025, PMID 41243165). Saccharum Officinarum (Sugarcane) Extract is the most-used member, reported in 211 cosmetic formulations (121 leave-on) at concentrations up to 2.4% in foot powders/sprays and up to 2.7% in facial moisturizer (HRIPT-tested non-irritating, non-sensitizing in 105 subjects). The Panel's conditions of safe use rest on cGMP control of heavy metals, pesticide residues, and PAH contamination from plantation burning — these are good-manufacturing-practice expectations rather than formal regulatory restrictions. The CIR assessment treats the extract as a complex botanical mixture; toxicity of single constituents (e.g., glycolic acid, polyphenols) was not used to predict whole-extract behavior.
Skin-conditioning agent — primary cosmetic function per wINCI and CIR assessment
CIR-assessed safe in cosmetic use without conditions (Finding=S)
Sugarcane-straw-derived extracts have demonstrated in vitro elastase (55%), tyrosinase (47%), and collagenase (25%) inhibition with limited dermal penetration — supports antioxidant/anti-aging marketing but with documented penetration limitations
Source plant: Saccharum officinarum L. (Poaceae); INCI extract is the whole-plant complex botanical mixture
- · Heavy metal and pesticide residue contamination — Panel-flagged; controlled via cGMP rather than restricted concentration
- · Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination from sugarcane plantation burning at harvest — Panel-flagged; controlled via cGMP
Marketing claim of 'natural AHA exfoliation' is dose-misleading: sugarcane extract contains trace glycolic acid (literature suggests sub-percent levels in juice/extract) but at typical cosmetic use concentrations (0.36-2.7%), the resulting glycolic acid dose is orders of magnitude below the 8-15% concentrations that produce clinically meaningful AHA exfoliation from isolated Glycolic Acid formulations. Isolated Glycolic Acid is a separately CIR-assessed ingredient with its own concentration caps; conflating sugarcane extract with isolated AHA is marketing framing, not supported by peer-reviewed efficacy evidence.
Sugarcane pollen sensitization documented in non-cosmetic exposure (Bengal skin-prick study: 54% positive in n=350); Panel concluded HRIPT data on the Extract (n=105 negative) was sufficient for cosmetic use, but botanical-allergen cross-reactivity is a general concern for sensitive-skin formulators
CIR Quick Reference Table (September 2022) — Saccharum Officinarum (Sugarcane) Extract row: Finding=S, Citation=Final Report 12/2021 Avai…
“Saccharum Officinarum (Sugarcane) Extract S Final Report 12/2021 Available from CIR”— QuickReferenceTable_AllConclusionTypes.pdf, p. 495