How safe is castor oil really? Whenever castor oil is made, they have tons of leftover ricin in the material. Then its said that they heat it up to make it less toxic. I have made plans to stop wearing cosmetics that contain castor oil, n do not use it for anything. It’s especially in a lot of lipglosses. Ricin, the alkaloid i believe it is? from castor beans. Anyone knowledgeable on the topic of plant defenses? N also, being topical, plants are still absorbed into the skin n into the body? Is this something potentially dangerous or is it not anything to wonder about?