Symphytum Officinale Leaf/Root Extract ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is used mainly as a skin-conditioning and soothing botanical extract. It can add humectant-like slip from plant mucilage and is common in after-sun, hand, body, and barrier-care formulas.
What does Symphytum Officinale Leaf/Root Extract do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is used mainly as a skin-conditioning and soothing botanical extract. It can add humectant-like slip from plant mucilage and is common in after-sun, hand, body, and barrier-care formulas.
Is Symphytum Officinale Leaf/Root Extract clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it carries a yellow flag because the plant naturally contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, especially in root material. Better-specified versions are depleted or tested to tight limits, so documentation matters more than the INCI name alone.
Is Symphytum Officinale Leaf/Root Extract sustainable?
It is plant-derived and renewable, and water, glycerin, ethanol, or oil extracts are generally expected to be biodegradable. The main sustainability variables are cultivation practices, solvent choice, and traceability rather than high-impact petrochemical processing.
Is Symphytum Officinale Leaf/Root Extract COSMOS-approved?
It can fit COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic when made from permitted plant material using approved extraction solvents and meeting contaminant specifications. Its Green Chemistry profile is strongest when extracted with water, ethanol, glycerin, or vegetable oil, with the key caveat being quality control for naturally occurring alkaloids.
How does Symphytum Officinale Leaf/Root Extract work chemically?
This material is a complex botanical extract containing mucilage polysaccharides, phenolic acids such as rosmarinic acid, tannins, allantoin, and small nitrogen-containing alkaloids, with roots generally carrying higher alkaloid levels than leaves. Typical cosmetic use is often about 0.5 to 5% depending on extract strength, and water or glycerin formats usually need standard preservation and supplier testing for alkaloid specifications.
Last updated 2026-05-13