Ingredients

Milk thistle

Silybum marianum · Silybum marianum seed extract · Silybum marianum fruit extract · Silybum Marianum Extract · Milk thistle extract · Silymarin · Silybin

Milk thistle is the plant Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn., best known for its fruits/seeds, which are used to obtain botanical extracts containing a characteristic group of constituents referred to as silymarin (a complex of flavonolignans). In food supplements it is typically used as a seed/fruit extract, often standardised to a declared percentage of silymarin, and presented as capsules, tablets, powders or liquid drops. In cosmetics it may appear as a Silybum marianum extract in aqueous or glycerinic media, or as a lipid-linked derivative/ester designed for oil-based systems. On cosmetic ingredient lists it is usually named using INCI, such as Silybum Marianum Extract or Silybum Marianum Fruit Extract. Extract composition can vary with plant part, extraction method and degree of standardisation, so products carrying the same botanical name are not necessarily comparable. In finished products, milk thistle may be used alone or alongside other botanical extracts and common formulation antioxidants.