Ellagic Acid ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is used primarily as an antioxidant and skin-conditioning active. It also supports tone-evening formulas by helping reduce oxidative stress and influencing pigment-related pathways in the skin.
What does Ellagic Acid do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is used primarily as an antioxidant and skin-conditioning active. It also supports tone-evening formulas by helping reduce oxidative stress and influencing pigment-related pathways in the skin.
Is Ellagic Acid clean?
It is generally well tolerated, not a common fragrance allergen, and does not sit on major clean-beauty restricted lists. The main formulation caveat is poor solubility, which can affect texture, color, and delivery if the formula is not well designed.
Is Ellagic Acid sustainable?
This compound is typically plant-derived, often from pomegranate, berries, nuts, or botanical byproducts. It has low persistence and low bioaccumulation concern, with a better sustainability profile when sourced from agricultural side streams and extracted with lower-impact solvents.
Is Ellagic Acid COSMOS-approved?
It can be permitted in COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic formulas when sourced from approved botanical materials and processed with allowed extraction methods. From a Green Chemistry view, it aligns best when renewable feedstocks, ethanol or water-based extraction, and minimal purification burden are used.
How does Ellagic Acid work chemically?
The molecule is a planar, highly hydroxylated polyphenolic lactone, which explains both its radical-scavenging behavior and its limited water solubility. Typical cosmetic use is often around 0.1% to 1%, and formulators commonly rely on solubilizers, encapsulation, or dispersion systems to improve delivery and reduce precipitation.
Last updated 2026-05-13