It is a short-lived aromatic herbaceous perennial, growing to 80cm tall, with sparsely branched lax or erect stems. The leaves are oblong-lanceolate, 5–17 cm long, hairy on both sides, and with margins entire or occasionally waved or weakly toothed. The inflorescences are yellow, comprising a thick capitulum or flowerhead 4–7 cm diameter surrounded by two rows of hairy bracts; in the wild plant they have a single ring of ray florets surrounding the central disc florets. The disc florets are tubular and hermaphrodite, and generally of a more intense orange-yellow colour than the female, tridentate, peripheral ray florets. The flowers may appear all year long where conditions are suitable. The fruit is a thorny curved achene. Extracts from Calendula are widely used in the cosmetics industries, being marketed as variously having emollient,moisturizing, reepitelising

Latin name of the plant: Calendula officinalis
Plant of material: Flower
Solubility: Can be produced in both oil-soluble or water-soluble form
Cosmetic applications: For use in every cosmetic formulations