Oil palm phenolics (OPP) are water-soluble antioxidants derived from palm oil milling effluent. They contain flavonoids, polyphenols, phenolic acids, water-soluble vitamins and organic acids. As a potential new ingredient for consumer products, safety assessment is therefore very important. This article describes the safety assessment of OPP as an active ingredient for topical application. The irritation potential of OPP to the eye and skin were assessed using the in vitro Ocular and Dermal Irritection Assay Systems respectively. For the purpose of comparison, a commercial green tea extract at the same concentrations was also evaluated. The in vitro ocular irritection assay study classified OPP as non-irritant or minimal irritant, but commercial green tea as mild irritant. For in vitro dermal studies, the results showed that both ingredients at 50% concentration and higher were classified as irritant. However at a 5% concentration, green tea was predicted as irritant, while OPP was non-irritant. Both the in vitro systems predicted formulated products containing 5% OPP and green tea as non-irritant. The irritation potential of the actives and formulated products with 5% actives was further evaluated via an in vivo patch test for 48 hr, as well as an in vivo human repeated patch test. It was found that both actives did not induce any irritative or allergic reactions related to the presence and activity of common allergens.