Paeonia lactiflora root extract is the extract obtained by drying the Peony root.

Paeonia lactiflora (Pallas 1776) or Peony, is a shrub, a perennial herbaceous species, and an important ornamental plant belonging to the Paeoniaceae family that flowers with large, intensely coloured flowers.

Paeonia lactiflora root extract is derived from the root of the Paeonia lactiflora plant, commonly known as the Chinese peony. This extract has been traditionally used in Eastern medicine for its calming and anti-inflammatory properties. In cosmetics and skincare, it is valued for its soothing, antioxidant, and brightening effects. Paeonia lactiflora root extract helps to protect the skin from oxidative stress, reduces redness, and improves skin tone, making it ideal for anti-aging and sensitive skin formulations.

Chemical Composition and Structure
Paeonia lactiflora root extract is rich in bioactive compounds, including paeoniflorin, flavonoids, tannins, and polysaccharides. Paeoniflorin is the primary active component responsible for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, while the flavonoids and tannins contribute to its skin-protective and brightening properties. These compounds work synergistically to provide multiple benefits for the skin, including protection from environmental stressors and promotion of a more even skin tone.

Physical Properties
Paeonia lactiflora root extract typically appears as a yellowish to brownish liquid or powder, depending on the extraction process. It is soluble in water and alcohol, making it easy to incorporate into various formulations, such as creams, serums, and lotions. The extract has a mild, earthy fragrance and offers a lightweight, non-greasy feel when applied to the skin.

Production Process
The production of Paeonia lactiflora root extract involves several steps:

1. Harvesting: The roots of Paeonia lactiflora plants are harvested at the right maturity stage to ensure the highest concentration of active ingredients.

2. Extraction: The roots are dried and then subjected to extraction processes using water or alcohol to isolate the beneficial compounds.

3. Concentration and Filtration: The extract is concentrated and filtered to remove impurities, resulting in a high-quality, potent extract ready for use in formulations.

4. Formulation: The purified extract is incorporated into various cosmetic and skincare products, providing soothing, antioxidant, and brightening effects.

Applications

• Skincare: Paeonia lactiflora root extract is widely used in skincare products for its calming and brightening properties. It helps soothe irritated skin, reduce redness, and improve the overall complexion, making it suitable for sensitive and reactive skin. It is often found in creams, serums, and toners.

• Anti-Aging: The antioxidant properties of the extract help protect the skin from free radical damage, reducing signs of aging such as wrinkles and fine lines. It also promotes skin elasticity and firmness, making it an effective ingredient in anti-aging formulations.

• Brightening and Even Skin Tone: Paeonia lactiflora root extract helps to diminish dark spots and uneven skin tone, offering a more radiant and uniform complexion. It is commonly included in products aimed at brightening the skin and improving luminosity.

• Soothing: Due to its anti-inflammatory properties, this extract is ideal for formulations targeting sensitive or irritated skin. It is often used in products designed to calm redness and inflammation.

INCI Functios:

Skin conditioning agent. It is the mainstay of topical skin treatment as it has the function of restoring, increasing or improving skin tolerance to external factors, including melanocyte tolerance. The most important function of the conditioning agent is to prevent skin dehydration, but the subject is rather complex and involves emollients and humectants that can be added in the formulation.

Environmental and Safety Considerations
Paeonia lactiflora root extract is generally considered safe for topical use. It is non-toxic, non-sensitizing, and well-tolerated by most skin types, including sensitive skin. However, like with all botanical ingredients, it should be used in concentrations recommended by regulatory guidelines to avoid potential allergic reactions.

From an environmental standpoint, Paeonia lactiflora root extract is derived from a renewable botanical source, making it a sustainable ingredient when harvested responsibly. Proper farming and extraction methods ensure minimal impact on the environment.

Studies

Medical

Paeonia lactiflora root extract has a long history in traditional medical science of anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects in the treatment of gynaecological disorders, particularly in Chinese medicine (1). The pharmacological mechanisms behind the anti-inflammatory immune-regulating activity lie largely in the main active component of this herbaceous species called Pae and its compounds, a monomer. Pae is present in the root to an extent approaching 40 per cent, thus to a significant extent. Pae is able to decrease bone erosion, pain, joint swelling, synovial hypertrophy. cartilage degradation in experimental arthritis (2) and rheumatoid arthritis (3).

Methyl gallate present in the root and leaves of Paeonia lactiflora appears to be the component that has a strong inhibitory effect against premature atherosclerosis (4) and could be of some importance as a nutraceutical component. 

Cosmetics

Certain components of Paeonia lactiflora (paeoniflorin, galloylpaeoniflorin, benzoylpaeoniflorin their derivatives and Pae derivatives, a monomer) have been shown in clinical studies to reduce the effects of melanin formation by improving the stratum corneum of the skin (5). The root extract enhanced the expression of skin barrier genes and also improved their function (6).

The most relevant studies and their abstracts have been selected to explore this in more depth:

Paeonia lactiflora studies

Typical commercial product characteristics Paeonia Lactiflora Root Extract

References_____________________________________________________________________

(1) Schramm, G. (1955). Pharmacopeia of the People's Republic of China. Pharmazeutische Zentralhalle fur Deutschland, 94(5), 173-175.

(2) Zhang, L. L., Wei, W., Wang, N. P., Wang, Q. T., Chen, J. Y., Chen, Y., ... & Hu, X. Y. (2008). Paeoniflorin suppresses inflammatory mediator production and regulates G protein-coupled signaling in fibroblast–like synoviocytes of collagen induced arthritic rats. Inflammation Research, 57(8), 388-395.

Abstract. Objective: To investigate the effects of Paeoniflorin (Pae) on inflammatory mediators and G protein-coupled signaling in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) from collagen induced arthritic (CIA) rats. Methods: SD rats were injected with type II collagen. Pae (25, 50, 100 mg. kg(-1)) was administered to CIA rats. The inflammation of CIA rats was evaluated by paw swelling, arthritis index and histopathology of joints. FLS were isolated and cultured. Interleukin (IL)-1 activity was measured by the 3H-TdR-intake method Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and cAMP were measured by radioimmunoassay. Protein kinase A (PKA) was assessed by luminescent kinase assay. Gi was detected by Western blot.....Conclusion: Inflammatory mediators and G protein-coupled signaling were associated with the pathogenesis of synovitis in CIA rats. Pae, as a new monomer, had anti-inflammatory effects on the animal model of CIA in rats, but also had regulatory effects on FLS from CIA rats in vitro. These results highlight Pae as a good candidate for therapeutic intervention in RA.

(3) Li Q, Hu S, Huang L, Zhang J, Cao G. Evaluating the Therapeutic Mechanisms of Selected Active Compounds in Cornus Officinalis and Paeonia Lactiflora in Rheumatoid Arthritis via Network Pharmacology Analysis. Front Pharmacol. 2021 Apr 21;12:648037. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.648037. 

(4) Kim MJ, Kang HH, Seo YJ, Kim KM, Kim YJ, Jung SK. Paeonia lactiflora Root Extract and Its Components Reduce Biomarkers of Early Atherosclerosis via Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Effects In Vitro and In Vivo. Antioxidants (Basel). 2021 Sep 23;10(10):1507. doi: 10.3390/antiox10101507. 

Abstract. Although various physiological activities of compounds obtained from Paeonia lactiflora have been reported, the effects of P. lactiflora extract (PLE) on early atherosclerosis remain unclear. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the in vitro and in vivo antiatherosclerosis and in vitro antioxidant effects of PLE and its compounds. PLE suppresses the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-induced capacity of THP-1 cells to adhere to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 expression, and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) signaling in HUVECs. PLE also suppresses TNF-α-induced nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 from cytosol as well as the enhanced TNFA and C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) mRNA expression in HUVECs. We identified and quantified the following PLE compounds using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection: methyl gallate, oxypaeoniflorin, catechin, albiflorin, paeoniflorin, benzoic acid, benzoylpaeoniflorin, and paeonol. Among these, methyl gallate had the strongest inhibitory effect on monocyte adherence to TNF-α-induced HUVECs and the VCAM-1 expression. Reverse transcriptase real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed that PLE compounds had a dissimilar inhibition effect on TNF-α-induced mRNA expression levels of CCL2, TNFA, and IL6 in HUVECs. Except for paeonol, the compounds inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced reactive oxygen species production in RAW264.7 cells. In vivo, oral administration of PLE improved TNF-α-induced macrophage infiltration to the vascular endothelium and expression of VCAM-1, as well as IL6 and TNFA gene expression in the main artery of mice. PLE could be useful as a nutraceutical material against early atherosclerosis via the combined effects of its components.

(5) Liu X, Chen Y, Zhang J, He Y, Ya H, Gao K, Yang H, Xie W, Li L. Widely targeted metabolomics reveals stamen petaloid tissue of Paeonia lactiflora Pall. being a potential pharmacological resource. PLoS One. 2022 Sep 2;17(9):e0274013. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0274013. 

Abstract. Paeonia lactiflflora Pall. has a long edible and medicinal history because of the very high content of biologically active compounds. However, little information is available about the metabolic basis of pharmacological values of P. lactiflora flowers. In this study, we investigated metabolites in the different parts of P. lactiflora flowers, including petal, stamen petaloid tissue and stamen, by widely targeted metabolomics approach. A total of 1102 metabolites were identified, among which 313 and 410 metabolites showed differential accumulation in comparison groups of petal vs. stamen petaloid tissue and stamen vs. stamen petaloid tissue. Differential accumulated metabolites analysis and KEGG pathway analysis showed that the flavonoids were the most critical differential metabolites. Furthermore, difference accumulation of flavonoids, phenolic acids, tannins and alkaloids might lead to the differences in antioxidant activities and tyrosinase inhibition effects. Indeed, stamen petaloid tissue displayed better antioxidant and anti-melanin production activities than petal and stamen through experimental verification. These results not only expand our understanding of metabolites in P. lactiflora flowers, but also reveal that the stamen petaloid tissues of P. lactiflora hold the great potential as promising ingredients for pharmaceuticals, functional foods and skincare products.

(6) Kim KH, Shim JS, Kim HJ, Son ED. Penta-O-galloyl-β-D-glucose from Paeonia lactiflora Pall. root extract enhances the expression of skin barrier genes via EGR3. J Ethnopharmacol. 2020 Feb 10;248:112337. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2019.112337.