OPHIOPOGON JAPONICUS ROOT EXTRACT
Ophiopogon japonicus root extract is made from the roots of this Asian plant species. On an ingredient list, the name points to a botanical extract rather than one single molecule: its composition can vary with the extraction method and the way the plant material is prepared.
OPHIOPOGON JAPONICUS ROOT EXTRACT: what it is
Ophiopogon japonicus root extract is made from the roots of this Asian plant species. On an ingredient list, the name points to a botanical extract rather than one single molecule: its composition can vary with the extraction method and the way the plant material is prepared.
The currently accepted species is Ophiopogon japonicus (Thunb.) Ker Gawl., in the Asparagaceae family. Older material may place it in Liliaceae; that taxonomic treatment does not make the extract a different ingredient. This name specifically refers to the root, not to the plant's leaves or fruit.
OPHIOPOGON JAPONICUS ROOT EXTRACT: what it does in cosmetics
In cosmetics, Ophiopogon japonicus root extract is used for skin conditioning and as a tonic. Skin conditioning means helping support a cared-for, pleasant skin feel, while the tonic role is associated with a fresh-feeling product. Neither description turns the ingredient into a dermatological treatment.
A clinical trial examined an oligofructan fraction obtained from Ophiopogon japonicus in products used twice daily by people with atopic dermatitis. That defined material and the full product are not the same as every root extract, so the finding does not establish the same result for any cosmetic that lists this ingredient.
Products containing this ingredient
See which products include it and the name used in each composition.
