Sucrose
Also known as Sucrose, Table sugar, Cane sugar, Saccharose, alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-beta-D-fructofuranoside
“CIR Expert Panel says: safe as used in cosmetics.”
Sucrose (CAS 57-50-1) is a non-reducing disaccharide of glucose and fructose linked α(1→β2), functioning as a humectant and skin conditioning agent. The CIR Expert Panel's 2014 group safety assessment (published IJT 38(1_suppl):5S-38S, 2019; PMID 31170840) explicitly named sucrose as one of 25 monosaccharides and disaccharides assessed, concluding they are 'safe in the present practices of use and concentration.' Sucrose has the greatest number of VCRP-reported cosmetic uses of all 25 ingredients assessed (738 uses), used at up to 58% in leave-on and 65% in rinse-off formulations. Sucrose is a GRAS food substance (21 CFR 184.1854) and is listed in REACH Annex IV (exempt from registration). Genotoxicity testing of sucrose in mouse lymphoma assays at 156–5000 µg/ml yielded negative results. An HRIPT in 102 subjects using a rinse-off product containing 29% sucrose found it was not an irritant or sensitizer (mean irritation index <0.25). Feng et al. (J Biomed Opt 2016; PMID 27108771) demonstrated that sucrose applied topically to rat skin has superior optical clearing properties compared to maltose and fructose, confirming dermal permeation and skin-conditioning activity. No genotoxic, irritation, or sensitization concerns were identified.
Humectant: attracts and retains water through multiple hydroxyl groups; 738 reported VCRP cosmetic uses — highest of all 25 disaccharides/monosaccharides evaluated in the 2014 CIR assessment.
Skin conditioning: most commonly reported cosmetic function; compatible with a wide range of leave-on and rinse-off formulations at concentrations up to 58% and 65%, respectively.
GRAS food substance (21 CFR 184.1854) and REACH Annex IV listed — regulatory track record spanning food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic use with no genotoxicity concerns.
Negative genotoxicity in mouse lymphoma assay (in vitro) across multiple concentration ranges (156–5000 µg/ml); no in vivo genotoxicity data available but oral safety well-established.
Not an irritant or sensitizer in HRIPT at 29% in rinse-off formulation (102 subjects); rapid metabolic hydrolysis to glucose and fructose upon absorption.
Group (class-level) safety assessment: sucrose was included as one of 25 saccharide ingredients. The HRIPT data are for a specific rinse-off formulation at 29% sucrose, not sucrose in isolation; 16% of subjects showed score ≥2 induction reactions (mean irritation index <0.25), which the Panel considered not clinically significant.
Sucrose is highly hygroscopic and osmotically active at high concentrations; cosmetic use in leave-on products at up to 58% is reported, but the CIR Panel found this acceptable based on the oral safety profile and dermal test data.
CIR Quick Reference Table (12/2017, revised 07/2018) — Sucrose row: Finding=S (Safe), Citation='Final report 03/2014 available from CIR'
“Sucrose | S | | Final report 03/2014 available from CIR”— QRT-122017revised072018.pdf, p. 128