Witch Hazel
A Gentle Botanical Astringent
Witch Hazel, Hamamelis virginiana, is a flowering shrub native to North America and has been used for centuries as a topical botanical for cleansing, soothing, and skin comfort. Traditionally, Native Americans prepared decoctions from the bark and twigs to help calm irritated skin, reduce inflammation, and ease minor skin discomfort—knowledge that later shaped its widespread use in skincare.
Modern witch hazel is a hydrosol, produced through distillation, capturing the plant’s water-soluble compounds. It is naturally rich in tannins and polyphenols, compounds responsible for its gentle astringent, soothing, and antioxidant properties.
When applied topically, witch hazel may help:
- ease itching
- calm irritated skin
- reduce redness
- soothe insect bites, minor burns, and scrapes
- support clearer-looking skin by removing excess oil and impurities
- gently tighten the surface of the skin, helping refine the appearance of pores and temporarily smooth the skin’s surface
Because of this astringent action, witch hazel is often used in facial toners and skin-refreshing products—though it can feel drying if the alcohol content is too high.
Our organic witch hazel contains 86% witch hazel extract and only 14% ethanol, making it noticeably more soothing and less drying than many commercial versions that rely heavily on alcohol. This gentler balance allows us to take advantage of witch hazel’s clarifying and skin-supportive qualities without the tight, over-stripped feeling often associated with drugstore formulas.
How We Use Witch Hazel
We use witch hazel where its cleansing, soothing, and emulsifying properties make sense from a formulation standpoint:
Aromatherapy Shower Mists
Witch hazel helps disperse essential oils into the alcohol base. While it does not permanently bind oils, it assists in temporarily combining them when the bottle is shaken, allowing the aromatic blend to disperse more evenly during use for a more consistent aromatic experience without heavy synthetic emulsifiers.
Alcohol Hand Sprays
Witch hazel contributes skin-soothing benefits while helping essential oils blend with alcohol, supporting comfort during frequent use.
Buyer Beware: Not All Witch Hazel Is the Same
Be cautious when purchasing commercial witch hazel products. Many drugstore varieties contain more alcohol than actual witch hazel, which can leave skin feeling dry, tight, or irritated.
Good-quality witch hazel should not dry out the skin. If you’ve had a negative experience with witch hazel in the past, excess alcohol may have been the reason.
Some brands advertise “alcohol-free” witch hazel. Please be sure to read the ingredients of these brands carefully. In many cases, the primary ingredient is water, and synthetic preservatives are added to prevent microbial growth in place of alcohol. These preservatives have been linked to skin irritation, allergic dermatitis, and eczema in sensitive individuals.
Our witch hazel is formulated to preserve the botanical’s natural benefits while minimizing unnecessary additives and excess alcohol.
