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Rosemary

BOTANICAL EXTRACT

Rosemary

An aromatic Mediterranean herb whose leaf extract and oil are rich in carnosic acid and other plant antioxidants, used in skin and scalp formulas.

Source

Rosemary leaves

Used for

Antioxidant support in skin and scalp care

How it works

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis, now also classed as Salvia rosmarinus) is an aromatic evergreen herb of the mint family with needle-like leaves. Its leaf extract and essential oil are used across cosmetics and personal care, and its plant compounds include carnosic acid, carnosol and ursolic acid.

These phenolic compounds give rosemary leaf extracts a high antioxidant activity, and that antioxidant character is the main role rosemary plays in skin and scalp formulas.
  1. 01

    Rich in plant antioxidant compounds, including carnosic acid and ursolic acid

  2. 02

    A traditional aromatic herb used in cosmetic and personal care formulas

  3. 03

    Its leaf extracts are widely used for their natural antioxidant activity

Questions

Is rosemary the same as Salvia rosmarinus?
Yes, both names refer to the same plant. Salvia rosmarinus was created as a replacement name for Rosmarinus officinalis when rosemary was placed in the sage genus, Salvia. Some botanical databases, including USDA GRIN, still list Rosmarinus officinalis as the accepted name, and ingredient lists use Rosmarinus Officinalis. (USDA GRIN)
What does rosemary extract do in skincare?
Rosemary leaves are rich in phenolic compounds, including carnosic acid, carnosol, flavonoids and ursolic acid. Carnosic acid and carnosol are among its main antioxidant compounds, and that antioxidant character is its main role in skin and scalp formulas. (Borrás-Linares et al., 2014)
Is rosemary extract the same as rosemary oil?
No. Rosemary leaf extract carries the plant's antioxidant phenolic compounds, while rosemary leaf oil is the aromatic essential oil, made up mainly of volatile monoterpenes such as 1,8-cineole, alpha-pinene, camphor and borneol. Both come from the leaves, but they are different ingredients. (Borrás-Linares et al., 2014; Flamini et al., 2022)

About the plant

Rosemary is an aromatic herb of the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Mediterranean, from Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Greece and the Balkans to Turkey, Cyprus and North Africa, as well as the Canary Islands and Madeira. (USDA GRIN)

Its leaves are the part most used, both as a culinary herb and as the source of rosemary extracts and essential oil. (Borrás-Linares et al., 2014; Flamini et al., 2022)

The research

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