What is it?
An ingredient made from the flowers of great mullein (Verbascum thapsus), a plant with a long history in European herbal medicine. The flowers are broken down (hydrolyzed) with acid, enzymes or another method into smaller components. In cosmetics it is listed in the European Union as an antioxidant and skin-protecting ingredient, and it is used in skin care products.
Key information
- Hydrolyzed mullein flower is made from Verbascum thapsus flowers broken down by acid, enzymes or another method.
- The European Medicines Agency's herbal committee concluded in 2018 that mullein flower can be recognized as safe at traditional doses.
- The committee also noted that non-clinical safety data are scarce and that genotoxicity tests have not been done.
- It has not been reviewed on its own by the CIR or the EU's SCCS, and the EU places no restrictions on it.
More information
Mullein flower, usually taken as a tea, is a traditional European herbal medicine. In 2018 the European Medicines Agency’s herbal committee (HMPC) adopted a European Union monograph on it, based on long-standing use rather than clinical trials. The committee’s assessment lists flavonoids, iridoid glycosides such as aucubin and catalpol, the antioxidant verbascoside and saponins among the flower’s constituents.
The committee concluded that mullein flower can be recognized as safe when used at the recommended doses, and its monograph lists no known undesirable effects. It also noted that non-clinical safety information is scarce: tests for genetic damage, cancer and reproductive effects have not been done. Because of missing data, the monograph does not recommend medicinal use during pregnancy and breastfeeding or in children under 12.
The hydrolyzed flower ingredient used in cosmetics has not been assessed on its own by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review or the EU’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, and its EU cosmetic ingredient listing (CosIng) carries no restrictions. We found no reports of skin reactions to it. On ingredient lists it appears as “hydrolyzed Verbascum thapsus flower.”
Sources: European Commission CosIng: Hydrolyzed Verbascum Thapsus Flower; European Medicines Agency: European Union herbal monograph on Verbascum thapsus L., V. densiflorum Bertol. and V. phlomoides L., flos (2018); European Medicines Agency: Assessment report on Verbascum thapsus L., V. densiflorum Bertol. and V. phlomoides L., flos (2018)
