EWG Skin Deep® | What is HAMAMELIS VIRGINIANA (WITCH HAZEL) EXTRACT

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Limited

Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract

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Other Concerns

Use restrictions (low) and Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (low)

SYNONYMS

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

Restricted

Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation

Witch Hazel Extract is produced from the bark, leaves and twigs of the witch hazel, Hamamelis virginiana.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

LOW

Cancer
LOW

Allergies & Immunotoxicity
LOW

Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
LOW

Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

CONCERNS
DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

toners/astringents	70 products
mask	52 products
bath oil/salts/soak	45 products
facial moisturizer/treatment	39 products
serums & essences	21 products
moisturizer	20 products
facial cleanser	19 products
antiperspirant/deodorant	12 products
pore strips	12 products
hand cream	9 products
around-eye cream	8 products
conditioner	7 products
exfoliant/scrub	7 products
body wash/cleanser	6 products
hair treatment/serum	5 products
makeup remover	5 products
anti-aging	5 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)	5 products
	5 products
after shave	4 products
setting powder/spray	4 products
daily use with SPF	4 products
bronzer/highlighter	4 products
blush	3 products
mouthwash	3 products
makeup primer	3 products
shaving cream	3 products
shaving cream (men's)	3 products
body spray	3 products
fragrance for women	3 products
BB cream	3 products
liquid hand soap	2 products
styling gel/lotion	2 products
shampoo	2 products
hair styling aide	2 products
body firming lotion	2 products
toothpaste	2 products
beard oil	1 products
oil controller	1 products
brow liner	1 products
foot moisturizer	1 products
hand sanitizer	1 products
sunless tanning	1 products
beard care	1 products

Allergies/immunotoxicity

CONCERN	REFERENCE
any or allergies - weight of evidence unknown/unassessed	Open scientific literature

Use restrictions

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - any	Open scientific literature

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

CONCERN	REFERENCE
any irritation - weight of evidence unknown/unassessed	Open scientific literature

Data gaps

CONCERN	REFERENCE
49 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical	NLM PubMed

Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.

Understanding scores

Cosmetics and personal care products are not required to be tested for safety before being allowed on the market. The Skin Deep® scoring system was designed to help the public understand whether a product is safe to use or whether it contains ingredients of concern.

Every product and ingredient in Skin Deep gets a two-part score – one for hazard and one for data availability. The safest products score well by both measures, with a low hazard rating and a fair or better data availability rating.

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES

Hazard score

The Skin Deep ingredient hazard score, from 1 to 10, reflects known and suspected hazards linked to the ingredients. The EWG VERIFIED™ mark means a product meets EWG’s strictest criteria for transparency and health.

Data availability

The Skin Deep data availability rating reflects the number of scientific studies about the product or ingredient in the published scientific literature.

NONE LIMITED FAIR GOOD ROBUST

Low Availability

Moderate Availability

High Availability