While witch hazel is not considered toxic, products containing witch hazel should not be ingested or injected. In general though, witch hazel products are non-toxic when used as directed.
If you have any concerns, we recommend consulting with your doctor before using on yourself. Additionally, please consult with your pediatrician before using any Witch Hazel products on infants.
The witch hazel plant is very natural and has been growing in the wild for centuries. The witch hazel species used in all of our products is wild-harvested from the woodlands of New England.
The process we use to produce our Certified Organic Witch Hazel Extract and our Witch Hazel with 14% Natural Grain Ethanol are 100% natural. So, while some methods used to produce witch hazel products are 100% natural, other brands and products might not use 100% natural witch hazel. So, it depends who’s witch hazel products that you’re referring to!
The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) does not require expiration dating on cosmetics or pharmaceutical products that have shelf life greater than three years. We recommend that you check for an expiration date. If there is none, we recommend using within three years.
However, we run all of our products through rigorous testing. We ensure product quality, safety and shelf stability of at least two years from the date it was packaged.
In many cases, our products are safe to use for three years or longer. If you have any concerns, please reach out to our Customer Care department. We love to hear from our consumers!
Genuine witch hazel is harvested using sustainable methods. The plant is then steam distilled, using the bark and twigs of local, wild-harvested Witch Hazel plants. In the final steps, a preservative is added.
The resulting formula is then tested to ensure it meets specifications. Then, the liquid is either bottled as pure witch hazel or formulated with additional ingredients to create products with various skin benefits.
Dickinson Brands Inc. founded National Witch Hazel Day in 2021 to celebrate the history and fantastic benefits of Witch Hazel.
For over 150 years, 100% natural Distilled Witch Hazel has been the primary ingredient in all Dickinson Brands products, delivering more effective, all-natural skin treatment and skincare solutions.
Dickinson Brands Inc. manages three brands of Witch Hazel products in the market: Humphreys Witch Hazel brand in Premium Natural Skincare sets, T.N. Dickinson’s Witch Hazel in First Aid, and Dickinson’s Original Witch Hazel in Skincare.
No, not all witch hazel is the same!
Some witch hazel producers cultivate their witch hazel plants on a farm. Dickinson Brands harvests their witch hazel plants where they grow naturally, throughout the forests of New England.
As specified by USP, the organization that sets standards for active naturals, we harvest dormant, mature witch hazel plants during the winter months.
These plants have lost their leaves for the season, and have been exposed to the natural elements for years, allowing them to grow bark that holds the most efficacious components.
In essence, we capture the most powerful plants at their peak potential out in nature, never on a cultivated farm. And, our sustainable harvest is annually certified as an organic wild crop, that actually promotes forest regrowth by clearing the canopy to allow younger witch hazel plants and other hardwoods to flourish.
All of our products start by carefully harvesting witch hazel on certified organic land out in the forests of New England. From there, the mature bark and twigs are chipped and steam-distilled, then preserved to make you the best, most effective genuine witch hazel products on the market.
Each formula is then tailored to provide a variety of skin benefits across the First Aid and Skincare and Beauty categories.
T.N. Dickinson’s is a First Aid brand, with clinical grade USP witch hazel to cleanse, soothe, and treat your skin.
Dickinson’s Original Witch Hazel is a skincare/beauty brand that includes pure, powerful witch hazel toners with many enhanced with skin-loving ingredients such as Hyaluronic Acid, Aloe, Niacinamide, and more.
Humphreys Witch Hazel is most often shelved in the Natural section in stores and is a premium brand of toners and cleansing pads with a portfolio that includes Certified Organic products.
National Witch Hazel Day was founded in 2021 by Dickinson Brands Inc., through the National Day Calendar and is celebrated every year on October 21st.
We have a variety of high value offers as well as some retailer sales going on throughout October and November.
Check on witchhazel.com or at your local retailer.
We generally have several high value promotions for National Witch Hazel Day. We encourage you to look HERE or sign-up to our email newsletter.
Humphreys products are available at humphreysusa.com as well as amazon and at select retailers.
Dickinson’s and T.N. Dickinson’s are available on amazon.com as well as many retailers’ website sites.
They are also widely available in stores.
Dickinson Brands Inc. has an on-site, on-staff Harvest Supervisor who oversees the organic audit, field visits, and acts as a liaison between witch hazel harvesters and the auditor during inspection to facilitate communication
Yes, witch hazel is safe for sensitive skin. However, everyones’ skin is different. We recommend trying any new product on a small area of skin, ensuring there is no reaction.
All of our products undergo thorough testing, ensuring they’re safety on the most sensitive of skin types. If you find that alcohol dries out your skin, we recommend trying one of our alcohol free formulations.
Witch Hazel is a natural botanical extract, so its “herbal note” comes across as an earthy, botanical aroma.
Due to seasonal changes throughout the growing period, the witch hazel scent may vary from time to time. This does not affect the product quality.
Some of our products have “fragrance free” on the label. This refers to “no added fragrances”, as all of our genuine witch hazel products have an aroma.
If the first ingredient is water, this dilutes the aroma and witch hazel’s effectiveness. So, if your witch hazel does not have an earthy, botanical smell, it is likely not 100% genuine or as effective.
Yes, Witch Hazel is wonderful for for your skin! Witch hazel products are used for cleansing, toning, refreshing and purifying skin. In fact, witch hazel is often dermatologist recommended!
If you have specific skin conditions you would like to address, we recommend speaking with your dermatologist.
As defined by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), genuine witch hazel will contain pure, natural ethyl alcohol as a preservative.
However, there are also alcohol free Witch Hazel products. While they contain a different preservative system, they do use natural witch hazel distillate.
Witch hazel has been used as a homeopathic remedy for centuries! In the modern world, you’ll find witch hazel used in for a few purposes.
Some Witch Hazel Products are Over the Counter (OTC) and are useful in cleansing, soothing, treating cuts, scrapes, insect bites, minor abrasions, bruises, hemorrhoidal tissues, razor burn and more!
(See the many uses for TN Dickinson’s Witch Hazel)
Other Witch Hazel Products are sold as “Cosmetic” rather than OTC Drugs, and these are known for cleansing and toning skin.
(See the many products and uses on the Humphreys & Dickinson’s websites)
The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) states that the pH of genuine witch hazel can range between 3.0-5.0.
Witch hazel products can contain alcohol, but are also available in alcohol free formulations. Witch Hazel sometimes contains pure ethyl alcohol as a preservative, but witch hazel is not alcohol.
Witch Hazel is a natural distillate made from the Witch Hazel plant by a steam distillation process.
Alcohol is an organic compound and is either made through fermentation of sugars or by synthetic means.