Peppermint extract is a botanical product derived from the peppermint plant (Mentha x piperita). We use this ingredient in our hand wash to help cleanse and condition skin.

Mentha piperita is a cross between watermint and spearmint in the mint (Lamiaceae) family, and cultivated in many regions of the world. These perennial plants grow to around 45cm tall, with dark green, tooth-edged, red-veined leaves. The highly fragrant leaves can be hydro or steam distilled to produce peppermint essential oil, which is used in foods, flavours, fragrances and pharmaceuticals.

Peppermint extract's moderate EWG rating is due to its sensitising potential for a small percentage of people, however a 2018 review by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel advised that "Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil is safe in cosmetics in the present practices of use and concentration described in the safety assessment when formulated to be non-sensitizing."

Botanical name: Mentha x piperita

Other names: Peppermint Leaf Extract

Chemical class: Botanical Products and Botanical Derivatives

Main constituents: (Essential Oil) Menthol, Menthofuran, Methyl Acetate, Menthone, Eucalyptol, Limonene, Sabinene, Carvone. (Leaf Hydroalcoholic Extract) Epicatechin

REFERENCES

Nair B. (2001). Final report on the safety assessment of Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf, and Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Water. International journal of toxicology, 20 Suppl 3, 61–73.

Marwa, C., Fikri-Benbrahim, K., Ou-Yahia, D., & Farah, A. (2017). African peppermint (Mentha piperita) from Morocco: Chemical composition and antimicrobial properties of essential oil. Journal of advanced pharmaceutical technology & research, 8(3), 86–90. https://doi.org/10.4103/japtr.JAPTR_11_17

Mariana Oliveira Arruda, Saulo José Figueiredo Mendes, Simone Aparecida Teixeira, Ludmilla Santos Silva de Mesquita, Maria Nilce de Sousa Ribeiro, Stanley de Sousa Lima Galvão, Marcelo Nicolás Muscará, Elizabeth Soares Fernandes, Valério Monteiro-Neto, The Hydroalcoholic Extract Obtained from Mentha piperita L. Leaves Attenuates Oxidative Stress and Improves Survival in Lipopolysaccharide-Treated Macrophages. Journal of Immunology Research, vol. 2017, Article ID 2078794, 9 pages, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/2078794

Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2021-09-17. temperate.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Mentha+%C3%97+piperita

Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel (2018). Amended Safety Assessment of Mentha piperita (Peppermint)-derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics. (Draft) Retrieved on September 18, 2021 from https://www.cir-safety.org/sites/default/files/peppermint_1.pdf