Milk Thistle Extract ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is primarily used as an antioxidant and skin-conditioning botanical extract. It helps protect formulas and skin-facing benefits from oxidation-related stress while supporting a calmer feel in leave-on products.
What does Milk Thistle Extract do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is primarily used as an antioxidant and skin-conditioning botanical extract. It helps protect formulas and skin-facing benefits from oxidation-related stress while supporting a calmer feel in leave-on products.
Is Milk Thistle Extract clean?
It is generally well accepted in clean-beauty frameworks when made with approved solvents and preserved appropriately. Sensitivity is uncommon, but botanical extracts can vary by supplier and may be relevant for people reactive to daisy-family plants.
Is Milk Thistle Extract sustainable?
This material is plant-derived and its main phenolic constituents are expected to be biodegradable rather than environmentally persistent. Its sustainability profile depends on farming practices, solvent choice, extraction efficiency, and whether the carrier system uses water, glycerin, ethanol, or glycols.
Is Milk Thistle Extract COSMOS-approved?
It is typically permitted under COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic when sourced from an allowed botanical raw material and processed with approved extraction solvents. It fits Green Chemistry best when made from renewable plant feedstock using water, ethanol, glycerin, or other lower-concern solvents with limited purification burden.
How does Milk Thistle Extract work chemically?
This botanical extract is rich in flavonolignans, flavonoids, and other phenolic compounds that can donate electrons and help quench reactive oxygen species. Typical cosmetic use is often around 0.1% to 2% depending on extract strength and carrier, and the phenolic fraction can be sensitive to light, oxygen, and high-pH systems, so opaque packaging and antioxidant or chelator support can improve formula stability.
Last updated 2026-05-14