MENTHA PIPERITA OIL
Peppermint oil is the volatile oil obtained from the whole Mentha × piperita L. plant, commonly known as peppermint. Its strong minty character comes from the plant's concentrated aromatic fraction, which is why the name can appear in products designed to carry a mint note.
MENTHA PIPERITA OIL: what it is
Peppermint oil is the volatile oil obtained from the whole Mentha × piperita L. plant, commonly known as peppermint. Its strong minty character comes from the plant's concentrated aromatic fraction, which is why the name can appear in products designed to carry a mint note.
It is not the same material as a peppermint extract or the plant's distilled aromatic water. It also differs from a fixed vegetable oil: it is a volatile essential oil, without the oily, emollient profile usually associated with oils pressed from seeds or fruits.
MENTHA PIPERITA OIL: what it does in cosmetics
In cosmetics, peppermint oil is used for fragrance and perfuming, giving the product a recognizably minty scent. The refreshing and tonic classifications mainly describe that livelier sensory impression; they do not mean that the oil hydrates skin or treats a skin condition.
One study evaluated a coenzyme Q10 lipid carrier containing peppermint oil for stability, irritation, and skin passage in mice. Because it examined a specific mixture rather than peppermint oil alone in people, it does not show that every cosmetic containing this ingredient improves the delivery of other actives.
MENTHA PIPERITA OIL: conditions and care
In the European Union, the ingredient must appear in the ingredient list when it exceeds 0.001% in leave-on products or 0.01% in rinse-off products.
Restrictions and conditions of use
Products containing this ingredient
See which products include it and the name used in each composition.
