## 1 Introduction  
The right choice of active ingredient is known to determine the character and effectiveness of a cosmetic product. For a few decades, much attention has been paid to replacing synthetic ingredients with natural ones. This interest in natural resources has brought about a dynamic development of the herbal processing industry that provides the producers of cosmetics with pure raw products and isolated plant extracts. The introduction of natural-origin raw products to cosmetic formulations has advantages as well as disadvantages. A great advantage is the possibility of using all parts of a given plant, the roots, stem, leaves and flowers, each of which contains a number of specific active components with beneficial effects on general health and the skin. The active substances contain a wide range of chemical compounds known to show a large variety of beneficial effects like antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, fragrance, dyeing, brightening, protecting against irradiation or moisturizing effects. From a technological viewpoint, the disadvantage of herbal raw products is the variation in the composition of the extracts from the same species of plant, which depends on the geographic site of origin and conditions of a given plant's growth and even on the time at which the plants were harvested [1]. One of the genera of herbal plants known to show therapeutic properties is _Solidago L_. The genus of _Solidago_ originates from Asteraceae that are endemic to North America, Europe and Asia. In Poland, the most common species is _Solidago virgawarea_[2]. The plant contains many biologically active components [3], in particular, flavonoids (quercetin, rutoside, avicularin, kaempfer) [4], triterpene saponins, catechin tannins, phenol acids and glycosides [5; 6; 7]. An interesting component is the essential oil containing cyclic monoterpenes (\(\alpha\) and \(\beta\)-pinene) [8]. The diversity of the active compounds is responsible for the wide range of biological activity of _Solidago virgawarea_. The best-known therapeutic effects of this plant are the diuretic and purifying ones. The active compounds contained in this plant, mainly flavonoids and saponins, increase the filtration in renal corpuscles and reduce the reverse resorption in renal tubules [3; 8]. The astringent and anti-inflammatory properties of _Solidago virgawarea_, originating mainly from the tannins and polyphenolic acids, are used in the treatment of alimentary tract ailments [5; 9]. The literature data also indicate the attractive cosmetic properties of _Solidago virgawarea_, first of all, its anti-inflammatory effect and the strengthening of blood vessels in the skin. The content of tannins, polyphenolic acids and flavonoids [3; 10; 11] suggests that _Solidago virgawarea_ can be used for the improvement of blood circulation in the skin and its coloring [12]. Moreover, the high content of tannins and saponins in this plant implies the antiseptic properties of its extract applied on the skin and its wound healing effect [7; 13]. The content of antioxidants, rutoside and quercetin from the group of flavonoids even up to 1.5 wt.% of dry product, indicates the potential anti-free radical effects of this plant, which are related to a range of anti-aging effects on the skin when applied in cosmetics [10; 11; 12]. Another interesting plant extract (from Fabaceae) with beneficial properties in the context of the skin is _Medicago sativa_ extract. It owes its effects mainly to its content of a number of vitamins (A, D, E, K and B group) as well as carotenoids, flavonoids and phenolic compounds [14; 15]. The high content of the mentioned biologically active substances indicates the effective antioxidant activity of _Medicago sativa_ extract, acting as a free radical inhibitor and having the ability to reduce intracellular oxidative stress. What is more, it has been shown to increase skin cell proliferation and metabolism in vitro [16].