Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Also known as Holy basil leaf extract, Tulsi leaf extract, Sacred basil leaf extract
“No regulator has issued a verdict on this ingredient.”
Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract (Tulsi / Holy Basil) is a botanical extract from a plant central to Ayurvedic medicine, used in cosmetic formulations for adaptogenic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-aging claims. The extract is rich in eugenol, ursolic acid, rosmarinic acid, and carvacrol; eugenol can constitute 30-80% of the essential oil fraction depending on chemotype and extraction method (a fermented extract reported ~39% eugenol; PMID 34935261). No CIR safety assessment exists as of 2026-04 (verified absent in both the September 2022 and December 2017/July 2018 QRTs). Topical-specific evidence is limited but favourable: a 2020 nanocarrier dermal delivery study reported the formulated extract induced no irritation in an egg membrane model (PMID 32235376), and a 2017 systematic review of 24 human Tulsi studies (predominantly oral ingestion) reported 'no studies reporting any significant adverse events' (PMID 28400848). The most clinically meaningful concern for cosmetic use is the high native eugenol content — see known_concerns.
Polyphenol and triterpene antioxidant content (eugenol, ursolic acid, rosmarinic acid, carvacrol) — supports antioxidant and anti-aging cosmetic claims
Demonstrated antimicrobial activity in vitro against skin and scalp microorganisms including S. aureus, S. epidermidis, Cutibacterium (Propionibacterium) acnes, Candida albicans, and Malassezia furfur
Anti-inflammatory activity (NF-kB suppression of 42.7±4.6% in fermented extract per PMID 34935261)
Long ethnobotanical history of safe topical and oral use in Ayurvedic skincare and traditional medicine
High native eugenol content (Tulsi essential oil fraction commonly 30-80% eugenol; a fermented leaf extract measured ~39% eugenol per PMID 34935261). Eugenol is an EU Annex III fragrance allergen requiring on-pack labeling above 0.001% (leave-on) / 0.01% (rinse-off). Cosmetic formulations using Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract at any meaningful concentration are likely to contain free eugenol above the 26-allergen disclosure thresholds — formulators should quantify free eugenol in the finished product and label accordingly. Note: the Annex III obligation attaches to free eugenol as a labeled fragrance allergen, NOT to Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract as an INCI; this packet does not encode the rule as a regulatory entry on the extract itself.
Sensitization potential — botanical extracts containing high eugenol and other essential-oil constituents (carvacrol, rosmarinic acid) are recognized contact-dermatitis triggers in sensitized individuals. No CIR-style 'formulated to be non-sensitizing' qualification exists because no CIR assessment has been conducted.
No completed CIR safety assessment as of 2026-04 — neither the September 2022 nor December 2017/July 2018 CIR Quick Reference Tables list Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract or any Ocimum species. US safety conclusion is unavailable; rely on constituent-level (eugenol) evidence and general botanical-extract dermatology for risk assessment.
Most published Tulsi clinical evidence concerns oral ingestion (Ayurvedic adaptogenic use); topical/dermal evidence base is small. PMID 32235376 tested a nanocarrier-formulated extract, not raw Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, so the no-irritation finding does not generalize cleanly to standard cosmetic formulations.