FERRIC OXIDE

📋 Quick facts

Description: FERRIC OXIDE — FERRIC OXIDE. Formula: Fe2O3. MW: 159.69. IUPAC: oxo(oxoferriooxy)iron.

Quick Facts:

• Category: other
• Also Known As: Ferric oxide, Iron(III) oxide

Proven Benefits At A Glance:

• Ferric oxide is an iron oxide compound containing 57-69% iron
• Research on ferric oxide in skincare is extremely limited—available studies focus on inhalation toxicity, agricultural use, batteries, and glucose sensors, not topical cosmetic applications
• One regulatory assessment notes ferric oxide is a skin and eye irritant by mechanical action and a potential dermal sensitizer due to nickel content
• No consumer skincare benefits are supported by the provided sources

⚗️ Chemical Overview

Hematite is a mineral with formula of Fe3+2O3 or Fe2O3. The corresponding IMA (International Mineralogical Association) number is IMA1971 s.p.. The IMA symbol is Hem.

Source(s): RRUFF Project, via PubChem

📊 Comedogenicity

🛡️ Safety rating

Safety tier is a starting heuristic from regulatory status and comedogenic rating, not a dermatological verdict — see our Terms for the full disclaimer. Research confidence reflects how many real cited studies back this ingredient, not the strength of their findings.

🌍 Regulatory Status

💧 Skin Type Compatibility

⚠️ Don’t Combine With

📚 Research & Evidence

🔬 The Science

The research abstracts provided do not contain studies on ferric oxide used as a skincare ingredient. Instead, the available literature examines ferric oxide in entirely different contexts. One source (J Nanosci Nanotechnol, 2010) studied inhalation exposure to ferric oxide nanoparticles in rats at high doses, finding that iron accumulated in liver and lung tissue and caused severe tissue damage—but this is relevant only to inhaled nanoparticle toxicity, not topical skincare use. A second source (Chemosphere, 2024) investigated ferric oxide nanoparticles as a crop fertilizer additive in soybean plants; this research has no application to skincare. Another study (ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 2017) used ferric oxide as a surface coating on lithium battery cathode materials to improve battery performance—similarly unrelated to cosmetics.

One regulatory document (EFSA J, 2016) assessed ferric oxide as an animal feed additive. This source does note that ferric oxide is “an irritant to skin and eyes by mechanical action” and should be regarded as a “dermal and respiratory sensitiser” due to nickel content in the additive, and expresses concern about possible genotoxicity. However, this assessment was for feed use in animals, not for consumer skincare products. The final source (Nanotechnology, 2018) used ferric oxide to functionalize a glucose sensor device—again, unrelated to skincare. In summary: credible skincare benefits for ferric oxide cannot be claimed based on these sources.

The only relevant safety note from the regulatory literature is that ferric oxide carries irritation and sensitization risks, though that assessment was not conducted in a cosmetic context.

📄 Related Research

Matched by search — not necessarily verified support for every statement above.

• Wang L et al. (2010). Acute toxicity of ferric oxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles in rats. J Nanosci Nanotechnol.
• Yadav A et al. (2024). Zinc oxide and ferric oxide nanoparticles combination increase plant growth, yield, and quality of soybean under semiarid region. Chemosphere.
• Chen S et al. (2017). Enhanced Electrochemical Performance of Layered Lithium-Rich Cathode Materials by Constructing Spinel-Structure Skin and Ferric Oxide Islands. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces.
• EFSA Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) (2016). Safety and efficacy of iron compounds (E1) as feed additives for all species: ferric oxide based on a dossier submitted by Poortershaven Industriële Mineralen B.V. EFSA J.
• Marie M et al. (2018). Vertically grown zinc oxide nanorods functionalized with ferric oxide for in vivo and non-enzymatic glucose detection. Nanotechnology.

🧴 Products Containing FERRIC OXIDE