Prunus Mume Fruit Juice: What Is It, Cosmetic Uses, Benefits & Side Effects

Curious about this ingredient? In this article we're explaining exactly what it is and why it's used within cosmetic formulations.
Updated on: July 1, 2025
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We verify all information on this page using publicly available nomenclature standards from The Personal Care Products Council (PCPC), the European Commission's CosIng database and documentation provided directly by ingredient manufacturers. Our analysis is based on technical data from these sources to ensure accuracy and reliability.

What Is Prunus Mume Fruit Juice?

Prunus Mume Fruit Juice comes from the green plum of the Prunus mume tree, a flowering plum native to East Asia and often linked with spring festivals in Japan and China. The fruit is rich in organic acids, natural sugars, and small amounts of vitamins and minerals that help soften and hydrate skin. Centuries ago the juice was used in traditional beauty rinses for its fresh feel and mild scent, and modern formulators picked up on these folk practices when looking for gentle plant based ingredients.

To make the cosmetic grade juice, ripe plums are washed, crushed, then pressed to separate the liquid from the pulp. The juice is filtered, sometimes lightly pasteurized, and finally concentrated or dried into a powder to keep it stable until it goes into a cream or serum.

You will most often spot Prunus Mume Fruit Juice in hydrating sheet masks, light gel moisturizers, soothing after sun products, hair shine mists, and daily face lotions that aim for a dewy finish.

Prunus Mume Fruit Juice’s Cosmetic Benefits/Uses

This plum derived juice is valued for one key reason in skin care:

  • Skin Conditioning: It helps skin feel softer, smoother, and better hydrated thanks to its mix of natural sugars and acids that draw in moisture and support a healthy surface layer.

Who Can Use Prunus Mume Fruit Juice

Prunus Mume Fruit Juice is generally gentle enough for all skin types. Dry and normal skin often enjoy its light moisture boost while oily and combination skin appreciate that it hydrates without feeling heavy. Sensitive skin usually tolerates it well because the juice has a mild acidity but very little fragrance material that might irritate. There are no known reasons for acne-prone skin to avoid it unless a person is sensitive to fruit extracts in general.

The juice is plant derived and collected without any animal input so it meets vegan and vegetarian standards.

Pregnant or breastfeeding women are not known to face special risks when using this ingredient topically. Still, this is not medical advice and anyone expecting or nursing should show the full product list to a healthcare professional before use just to be safe.

The ingredient does not make skin more prone to sunburn so it is not considered photosensitising. As with any fruit extract its natural color can fade in strong light but this does not affect skin.

Potential Side Effects/Adverse Reactions

Reactions to topical Prunus Mume Fruit Juice differ from person to person. The effects listed below are possible but uncommon when the ingredient is formulated and used as intended.

  • Mild redness or stinging
  • Itchiness in very sensitive skin
  • Allergic contact dermatitis in individuals allergic to stone fruits

If you notice any of these effects stop using the product and seek medical advice if symptoms persist or worsen.

Comedogenic Rating

Rating: 0 / 5 – non-comedogenic.

Prunus Mume Fruit Juice is mostly water with small amounts of natural sugars and acids that do not linger in pores or create an oily film so it is very unlikely to block follicles or trigger blackheads. It also gets used at modest levels in formulas, leaving little residue behind.

Because of this low clogging risk it is considered suitable for skin that breaks out easily.

No data suggest it worsens fungal acne and it rinses off cleanly in cleansers or stays lightweight in leave-on products.

Summary

Prunus Mume Fruit Juice is a gentle skin-conditioning ingredient that softens, hydrates and smooths by letting its natural sugars pull water to the surface while its fruit acids help keep the outer layer fresh. It appears in sheet masks, light lotions and soothing gels but is still a niche extract compared with more famous botanicals like aloe or green tea.

Overall safety is high with only rare irritations in those sensitive to stone fruits. Formulas that respect normal skin pH make it even milder. As with any new skincare step it is smart to run a small patch test to be sure it agrees with your skin.

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