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E392

Extracts of rosemary

What the research shows

Unclear

the research on this page hasn’t settled it

A concentrated extract from rosemary leaves.

It slows oxidation to help foods like meats and oils last longer.1

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
  • EU permitted

What research says

Studies in people

  • Open question

    Heart and blood health3

    In people, eating meat with rosemary extract and omega-3s changed blood markers linked to heart health.

  • Open question

    Iron absorption from food4

    Rosemary extract added to meals lowered how much iron the women's bodies took in from that food.

Animal and lab studies only

How it’s made and used

  • How much gets eaten2

    In children aged 3 to 9, extracts of rosemary eaten as a food additive were likely far less than the amounts estimated.

  • Fat breakdown during digestion5

    In lab studies, rosemary extract slowed the breakdown of fats in cooked pork during simulated stomach digestion.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.

What expert reviews concluded

Expert panels that weigh all the research. Shown for context: the signal at the top does not count them.

Regulatory status

Checked Sep 2026

Status reflects the named register on the date checked. It is not a safety rating. A country appears here once we've found this ingredient on its official list.

How we check

Products

The 6 most-scanned of 4,886 products on Open Food Facts that list extracts of rosemary.

  • Tortelloni Ricotta et épinards Baresa · 250 g 3 additives
  • Chips sea salt & cider vinegar Tyrrels · 150 g 1 additive
  • Walkers Cheese & Onion crisps Walkers · 25 g 6 additives
  • Classic Mayo Chosen Foods · 946 ml 1 additive
  • Organic Protein Orgain · 43.2 oz (2.7 lbs) 1.22 kg 6 additives
  • Snack poppé saveur paprika TooGood · 85 g 3 additives

References

  1. 1Extracts of rosemary: ingredient taxonomy entry. Open Food Facts.
  2. 2Younes M, Aggett P, Aguilar F, et al. Refined exposure assessment of extracts of rosemary (E 392) from its use as food additive. EFSA J. 2018;16(8):e05373. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2018.5373
  3. 3Bermejo LM, López-Plaza B, Weber TK, et al. Impact of cooked functional meat enriched with omega-3 fatty acids and rosemary extract on inflammatory and oxidative status; a randomised, double-blind, crossover study. Nutr Hosp. 2014;30(5):1084-91. doi:10.3305/nh.2014.30.5.8048
  4. 4Samman S, Sandström B, Toft MB, et al. Green tea or rosemary extract added to foods reduces nonheme-iron absorption. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001;73(3):607-12. doi:10.1093/ajcn/73.3.607
  5. 5Liu S, Zhang R, Fan L, Ma Y, Xiang Q. Effect of rosemary extract on lipid oxidation of cooked pork during simulated gastric digestion. J Sci Food Agric. 2020;100(4):1735-1740. doi:10.1002/jsfa.10194
  6. 6Zhao Y, Sedighi R, Wang P, Chen H, Zhu Y, Sang S. Carnosic acid as a major bioactive component in rosemary extract ameliorates high-fat-diet-induced obesity and metabolic syndrome in mice. J Agric Food Chem. 2015;63(19):4843-52. doi:10.1021/acs.jafc.5b01246