Medicinal Plant Extracts As Cosmetic Active Ingredients

Medicinal plant extracts are widely used as active ingredients in cosmetics. Although cosmetics are not as strictly regulated as pharmaceuticals, there are still a set of criteria that must be met before a plant extract can become an ingredient in a cosmetic formulation. The process of bringing a new medicinal plant extract to the cosmetic market will be discussed, including issues with producing or sourcing quality plant material, and reproducibility, safety, efficacy, and scale-up of the extract. Additionally, the chemistry and clinical effects of several popular plant extracts currently used in cosmetics will be reviewed.