Quillaja (Soap Bark)
A bark extract from the Chilean soapbark tree whose natural saponins foam and help cleanse.
Quillaja saponaria, Quillaja saponaria bark extract, Quillaja saponaria wood extract, soap bark, soapbark, saponins
Blemish-prone skin
What it does
Quillaja comes from the bark of the soapbark tree, native to Chile. Its saponins are natural surfactants: they foam in water and help lift oil and dirt, which is why the bark was traditionally used as soap. In skincare it appears in small amounts as a plant-based cleansing and foaming helper, as in Augustinus Bader's The Foaming Cleanser and Biologique Recherche's Lotion P50W.
How it works
Saponins have a water-loving sugar part and an oil-loving part, so, like other surfactants, they surround oil and let water rinse it away. They are generally considered mild, but plant-derived does not automatically mean gentle, and in most formulas quillaja works alongside other cleansing agents rather than on its own.
MG says
Judge a cleanser by how your skin feels afterwards: perfectly clean, never dry or tight. A plant-based foaming agent is not automatically gentle, as natural ingredients can still irritate sensitive skin.
Cautions
Like other foaming agents, quillaja can sting the eyes, so rinse well. Patch test first if your skin is sensitive.
