Objective: To study the safety of three surfactants from plants

gleditsia saponin

tea saponin and sapindus saponin

in the field of cosmetics. Method: After simple pre-treatment

ethanol used as the extraction agent

40 mesh-powders from Gleditsia sinensis

tea-seed cake and sapindus mukorossi were extracted respectively. Compared with ammonium alcohol ether sulphat(AESA)which was commonly used in the cosmetics

the 50% hemolytic dosage (HC50)

protein denaturation index (DI)

and the ratio of HC50/DI(L/D) in hemolysis test were measured to evaluate the safety of leditsia saponin

tea saponin and sapindus saponin. Result: The yield and the real content of sapindus saponin among three surfactants were the lowest. HC50 of gleditsia saponin

tea saponin and sapindus saponin were all lower than 50 mg·L-1

which meant the saponins had stronger irritation than AESA

and the HC50 value of sapindus saponin was the minimum. L/D value of the saponins was less than 1.By eye irritation classification

it showed that three surfactants from plants belonged to the irritating substance. Conclusion: The production cost of sapindus saponin was the highest among three saponins. Considering the strong irritation of the three surfactants from plants

the amount of them should be strictly controlled to decrease the irritation when applied as cosmetics.