Malva Sylvestris Extract

Malva sylvestris (mallow) extract is primarily a soothing, mucilage-rich botanical used at low concentrations in leave-on products, and it is generally well-tolerated on sensitive skin. However, like many plant extracts it contains multiple bioactive constituents and has documented potential for irritant or allergic contact dermatitis in a minority of users, especially with compromised barriers (e.g., eczema). Given that real-world formulas often include multiple botanicals and patients can have unpredictable plant sensitivities, I score it as gentle but not inert. Safety Notes: In mass-market and prestige leave-on skincare (toners, moisturizers, soothing serums) Malva sylvestris (mallow) is commonly used as a minor soothing botanical at ~0.01–0.2%, especially when supplied as a diluted glycerin/propylene glycol/water extract. Higher-load consumer products marketed as “herbal/soothing” (creams, masks, after-sun, micellar/cleansing gels) are observed up to ~1–3%, with a practical upper end around ~5% for OTC products due to color/odor, viscosity, and botanical-solids stability limits; rinse-off products tend to sit in the same or slightly lower band because of cost and reduced deposition.