MELISSA OFFICINALIS EXTRACT
Lemon balm extract, listed as MELISSA OFFICINALIS EXTRACT, is made from the herb Melissa officinalis, a Lamiaceae species also called lemon balm. It contains compounds drawn from the plant rather than naming one single molecule, so its profile can vary with the plant material and extraction method used.
MELISSA OFFICINALIS EXTRACT: what it is
Lemon balm extract, listed as MELISSA OFFICINALIS EXTRACT, is made from the herb Melissa officinalis, a Lamiaceae species also called lemon balm. It contains compounds drawn from the plant rather than naming one single molecule, so its profile can vary with the plant material and extraction method used.
This name is not another term for lemon balm essential oil. An extract and the aromatic volatile fraction are different preparations from the same species, and the INCI name alone does not state which plant part was used or how the extract was prepared. On an ingredient list, it identifies a plant-derived Melissa ingredient in the formula.
MELISSA OFFICINALIS EXTRACT: what it does in cosmetics
In cosmetics, lemon balm extract is used for skin conditioning. In everyday terms, that role concerns helping a product leave the skin feeling softer, more comfortable, or more pleasant to the touch; it does not describe a treatment for a skin condition.
Research on Melissa officinalis covers very different preparations, including polyphenol-rich extracts and essential oils, whose chemical profiles are not interchangeable. Results from one specific preparation therefore do not establish what this extract will do in every cream, serum, or cleanser; the name supports recognising a plant extract used to condition the skin.
Products containing this ingredient
See which products include it and the name used in each composition.
