EWG's Guide to Healthy Cleaning | HAMAMELIS VIRGINIANA (WITCH HAZEL) EXTRACT

EWG's Guide to
Healthy Cleaning

Discover EWG VERIFIED^®

GET UPDATES DONATE

HAZARD SCORE RANGE

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES LEARN MORE ABOUT EWG VERIFIED®

HOME / INGREDIENTS / Hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) extract

HAMAMELIS VIRGINIANA (WITCH HAZEL) EXTRACT

SEARCH PRODUCTS

Find Products With This Ingredient

COMMONLY FOUND IN

cleaner, all-purpose/multi-surface deodorizer, fabric/upholstery/carpet

SYNONYMS

HAMAMELIS VIRGINIANA (WITCH HAZEL) EXTRACT, WITCH HAZEL, EXTRACT, HAMAMELIS EXTRACT, EXTRACT OF WITCH HAZEL, EXTRACT OF HAMAMELIS VIRGINIANA, EXTRACT OF HAMAMELIS, HAMAMELIS VIRGINIANA EXTRACT, HAMAMELIS VIRGINIANA, EXT.

RESTRICTED

EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation.

Common Concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

No Data

Asthma / Respiratory
LOW

Skin Allergies & Irritation
No Data

Developmental & Reproductive Toxicity
No Data

Cancer
No Data

Environment

Top Scoring Factors

Evidence of developmental/endocrine/reproductive effects; chronic aquatic toxicity; skin irritation/allergies/damage

Ingredient concerns

CONCERNS

Health Issue	Level of Concern	Source

Components of witch hazel reduced skin irritation in a human trial.	low	A. Deters, A. Dauer, E. Schnetz, M. Fartasch & A. Hensel. 2001. High molecular compounds (polysaccharides and proanthocyanidins) from Hamamelis virginiana bark: influence on human skin keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation and influence on irritated skin. Phytochemistry 58(6), 949-58.
CIR cites unpublished industry data which reported negative genotoxicity findings for witch hazel leaf extract.	low	Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR): CIR Assessments
CIR cites unpublished industry data which reported negative genotoxicity findings for witch hazel leaf extract.	low	Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR): CIR Assessments
H. virginiana extracts exhibited antiinflammatory properties in rats.	low	M. Duwiejua, I. J. Zeitlin, P. G. Waterman & A. I. Gray. 1994. Anti-inflammatory activity of Polygonum bistorta, Guaiacum officinale and Hamamelis virginiana in rats. The Journal of pharmacy and pharmacology 46(4), 286-90.
Components of witch hazel exhibited anti-mutagenic properties in vitro.	low	A. Dauer, P. Metzner & O. Schimmer. 1998. Proanthocyanidins from the bark of Hamamelis virginiana exhibit antimutagenic properties against nitroaromatic compounds. Planta medica 64(4), 324-7.