Read a botanical extract as one ingredient in a complete formula. Its label name tells you the plant and usually the part used. It doesn’t tell you how much is present, how it was extracted, or whether it will suit your skin. Plant-derived doesn’t automatically mean gentle.
How plant ingredients are named
Cosmetic ingredient lists use standardized INCI names. For plants, that usually means:
- the Latin (botanical) name of the plant,
- often the common name in brackets,
- the part used (leaf, seed, fruit, root, flower), and
- the form (extract, oil, water, juice, butter).
For example: Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Cranberry) Fruit Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water.
Why the part and form matter
The same plant can appear in very different forms. A seed oil, a leaf extract and a flower water from one plant are different materials. If you know you react to a particular plant, note the Latin name, because common names vary and the Latin name is what appears on labels.
What an extract name doesn’t tell you
- Concentration. Extracts often appear low in the list, and anything at 1% or less can be listed in any order after the rest.
- The solvent or carrier. Extracts are often supplied in glycerin, water, alcohol or a carrier such as maltodextrin, which may also appear in the list.
- What it does in this product. Research on a plant isn’t evidence for a finished product that contains a small amount of it.
Natural isn’t the same as predictable
Plant-derived ingredients can still cause reactions. Some botanicals and essential oils contain naturally occurring fragrance compounds, which are among the better-known causes of cosmetic allergies. The FDA advises people with allergies to read the full ingredient list rather than rely on front-label phrases. There is also no federal definition of “hypoallergenic.” What fragrance-free does and doesn’t mean.
Don’t pull one ingredient out of context
An extract sits alongside water, humectants, emulsifiers, thickeners and preservatives. Writing about a product as if it were only its most appealing plant turns a label into a story the finished formula may not support. Why “clean” isn’t a definition.
Keep your own record
If you react to a product, write down every plant in its list by Latin name. Over time, patterns can emerge. A dermatologist can also do patch testing to identify specific allergens. Trying a product on a small area first.
A worked example
Our 001 Copper Peptide Cream lists these plant-derived ingredients, among others:
- Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Cranberry) Fruit Extract
- Eclipta Prostrata Extract
- Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract
- Melia Azadirachta (Neem) Leaf Extract
- Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
- Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water
- Syringa Vulgaris (Lilac) Leaf Cell Culture Extract
It also lists Maltodextrin, a carrier often used with extracts. We name each one so you can check them. We don’t attribute results to any of them. Every ingredient in the cream, explained.
Further reading: FDA: Allergens in cosmetics · FDA: Cosmetics labeling guide · FDA: Hypoallergenic cosmetics
For a list you can read line by line, see 001 Copper Peptide Cream or every ingredient we use.
Photography: Maarten Wijnants / Unsplash.