Althea Officinalis ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is primarily a skin-conditioning botanical extract, used to add soothing feel, light hydration, and slip from naturally occurring mucilage polysaccharides.
What does Althea Officinalis do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is primarily a skin-conditioning botanical extract, used to add soothing feel, light hydration, and slip from naturally occurring mucilage polysaccharides.
Is Althea Officinalis clean?
From a clean beauty perspective, it is generally well accepted and low-friction, with low irritation potential for most users. The main review points are extract quality, residual solvent choice, preservation system, and any fragrance components in the finished formula.
Is Althea Officinalis sustainable?
This ingredient is plant-derived and its water-soluble components are expected to be readily biodegradable. Sustainability depends on agricultural practices, extraction solvent, and whether the supply chain uses responsibly grown plant material.
Is Althea Officinalis COSMOS-approved?
It is permitted under COSMOS-natural, and can fit COSMOS-organic when the plant source and extraction process meet the standard. It aligns well with Green Chemistry when extracted with water, glycerin, ethanol, or other permitted low-concern solvents and processed with minimal refinement.
How does Althea Officinalis work chemically?
The material is rich in hydrophilic polysaccharides that form a soft, film-like feel on skin, with smaller contributions from flavonoids, phenolic acids, and minerals depending on the extract. It is commonly used as an aqueous or glycerin-based extract at low single-digit percentages, and is best protected with an appropriate preservative system because the carbohydrate-rich phase can support microbial growth.
Last updated 2026-05-13