St. John's Wart ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is used mainly as a skin-conditioning botanical, added for calming, antioxidant, and barrier-comfort claims. In oil infusions, it can also contribute light emolliency.
What does St. John's Wart do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is used mainly as a skin-conditioning botanical, added for calming, antioxidant, and barrier-comfort claims. In oil infusions, it can also contribute light emolliency.
Is St. John's Wart clean?
Clean frameworks generally accept it when extraction solvents and preservative systems meet their criteria, but it carries botanical variability and a photosensitivity caveat tied to naturally occurring pigments. It is not a common restricted-list material, though brands may set limits around leave-on sun-exposure claims.
Is St. John's Wart sustainable?
It is plant-derived and generally biodegradable. The main sustainability questions are cultivation versus wild-harvest controls, plus the carrier oil or solvent used to make the extract.
Is St. John's Wart COSMOS-approved?
It can be permitted under COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic when produced from compliant plant material with approved extraction methods and solvents. Its Green Chemistry fit is strongest when renewable feedstock, ethanol, glycerin, water, or plant oils are used, with minimal solvent residue and traceable sourcing.
How does St. John's Wart work chemically?
This material is a complex botanical mixture containing flavonoids, phenolic acids, tannins, and red-pigmented naphthodianthrones such as hypericin, with composition depending strongly on plant part, harvest, and extraction medium. Typical cosmetic use is low, often below 5 percent for extracts or infusions, and formulators usually manage color, odor, oxidation of the carrier phase, and light-sensitivity considerations in leave-on products.
Last updated 2026-05-13