Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract

Also known as Neem Leaf Extract, Azadirachta Indica Leaf Extract, Indian Lilac Leaf Extract

Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract (Neem leaf extract; CAS 84696-25-3; aka Azadirachta indica) is a whole-leaf extract of the neem tree (family Meliaceae) used in Ayurvedic skincare and Korean K-beauty for marketed antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and skin-soothing claims. Active leaf constituents are dominated by quercetin glycosides, flavonoids, nimbin, and nimbinene; azadirachtin (the most-studied limonoid) is concentrated in the seed kernel oil rather than the leaves, so leaf-extract chemistry differs meaningfully from neem seed oil chemistry. CIR has NOT issued a safety assessment for any Melia Azadirachta or Azadirachta indica preparation — verified absent from the September 2022 QRT (jumps Melaleuca -> Melamine -> Melibiose -> Mentha) and the December 2025 QRT (same gap, pp. 226-228). PubMed leaf-specific studies are limited but informative: PMID 35039267 (Naeem 2021) confirms in vitro antimicrobial activity against MRSA and MRSE skin isolates (zone of inhibition 14.23 +/- 1.37 mm and 13.66 +/- 0.70 mm respectively, lower than vancomycin/linezolid); PMID 40201429 (Munir 2021) demonstrates 3% w/w neem-leaf-extract Carbopol gel achieved complete epithelialization in rabbit wounds at 23 days vs 27-34 days for control with anti-E. coli and anti-Pseudomonas activity; PMID 38565924 (Hashem 2024, Sci Rep) shows combined rosemary-neem hair gel outperformed ketoconazole against Malassezia furfur and minoxidil for hair growth. Without a CIR or SCCS assessment, regulatory safety status is genuinely unassessed — the corpus carries this ingredient as not_assessed in the cir scope and confidence falls accordingly. No documented serious cosmetic safety concerns at typical use levels in the limited published literature, but the evidence base is substantially thinner than for canonical CIR-assessed botanicals (Glycyrrhiza, Camellia, Aloe).