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Ingredient on hair labels

Malva Sylvestris (Mallow) Extract

TheWashDay editorial · Updated · From the EU ingredient register and the makers’ own labels · How we match names

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Malva Sylvestris (Mallow) Extract is on 2 of the 177 hair-product labels we compare, from 1 maker. Its uses in the EU ingredient register include emollient, smoothing and astringent. None of these labels names it among its first five ingredients.

See it on each label Products without it

What it is

In the register’s words: “Malva Sylvestris Extract is an extract of the flowers and leaves and stems of the Mallow, Malva sylvestris L., Malvaceae.”

EU register name (INCI)
MALVA SYLVESTRIS EXTRACT
CAS number
84082-57-5
EC number
282-003-9

Labels often add a second name in brackets, so a label may say Malva Sylvestris (Mallow) Extract where the register says MALVA SYLVESTRIS EXTRACT. Both are the same ingredient.

What the register lists it for

These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for Malva Sylvestris (Mallow) Extract in any cosmetic, hair roles first. They say why a maker might add it, not what it does in one formula, and they aren’t a safety rating.

Emollient

Oils, butters and similar ingredients that make a surface feel soft and smooth. On hair they coat the strand; many plant oils carry this role.

Register definition: “Acting as lubricants on the skin surface providing the skin with a soft and smooth appearance.”

Smoothing

Evens out a rough surface. The register writes this for skin; on a hair label it sits beside conditioning ingredients.

Register definition: “Seeking to achieve an even skin surface by decreasing roughness or irregularities.”

Astringent

Gives skin a tighter feel. Witch hazel and some plant extracts carry this role.

Register definition: “Contracting and/or tightening the skin.”

Skin conditioning

The register’s broad role for ingredients that keep skin in good condition. On a hair label it often sits beside a hair role, or marks a plant oil or extract.

Register definition: “Maintaining the skin in good condition.”

Soothing

Eases discomfort of the skin or scalp. It describes the feel, not a treatment.

Register definition: “Lightening discomfort of the skin or of the scalp.”

Where it sits on each label

US labels list ingredients from most to least, except that those at 1% or less may follow in any order. A name near the top is a large part of the formula. A label doesn’t mark where the 1% point falls, so further down, the order says little about how much is in it.

Every label, product by product (2)

Each line runs from the first name on a label to the last; a dot is where this ingredient sits. Makers change formulas now and then; if the list on your bottle differs, go by your bottle.

Your next step

Find products without Malva Sylvestris (Mallow) Extract Check every name on your own label All ingredients on the labels we compare

Other emollient ingredients on these labels

Updated · The name, numbers and uses come from the European Commission’s CosIng entry (CC BY 4.0); we write the uses in US spelling and put the hair ones first. The labels are each maker’s own. The order rule is the FDA’s Cosmetics Labeling Guide. All our sources are on the Sources page.