What is the white stuff that gets on your hands after peeling an orange?

It is the bitter pith between the peel and the orange sections.

God left his dna

Citrus are often coated in food-safe wax to keep them from dehydrating.
I know I see that on my hands after peeling citrus, especially non-organic which are almost certainly coated.
Some organic does have waxing and they usually inform you on the label. But a lot of organic citrus aren’t coated and they will dry out faster.

It might be wax from the outer skin—some companies spray wax on the orange skin to protect it in-transit.

Second- the orange skin is full of pores that are filled with citric acid. If you take a peel, hold it up to the light and fold it in half, you can see a spray of citric acid come off the folded part. It could be citric acid or whatever’s stored in the skin, under the wax.

Oh Pith!

Citric acid seems to be the winner!