What are CO2 extracts?
CO2 (carbon dioxide) is used to extract aromas from plant materials instead of hydrocarbons or steam. Under high pressure, CO2 is compressed until it attains the density of a liquid and becomes "supercritical" carbon dioxide—neither a gas nor a liquid. In this state it is able to act as a gentle and clean solvent. The beauty of this extraction method is that the CO2 evaporates quickly and completely, leaving no residue, and the process requires no heat. The resulting oil has an aroma closer to the natural plant than a steam-distilled essential oil.
In recent decades, the cosmetics industry has undergone major changes. Quality requirements for perfumery and cosmetic products have become more stringent and many new standards and methods of analysis have appeared. Consumers have also become more demanding. More and more people prefer natural cosmetics that do not contain synthetic substances.
One of the main ingredients of natural cosmetics are herbal extracts. There are many types - dry, water, alcohol, propylene glycol, oil, CO2 extracts. They differ in appearance, method of preparation, scope and percentage content in the formulation.
Plant extracts have long been used in medicine and cosmetics. They are effective, safe and useful active ingredients. The use of plant extracts in cosmetics allows to obtain stable therapeutic effects.
CO2 Select Extract: use lower pressure and the resulting oil is closer to an essential oil as only the lighter aromatic components are extracted.
Advantages of CO2 extracts
CO2 extracts stand out favorably among other types of extracts:
Production by the method of supercritical fluid extraction under conditions of high pressure (over 300 atmospheres) and gentle temperature conditions allows obtaining maximum biologically active components of the plant from raw materials.
Liquefied carbon dioxide (CO2) is used as an extractant (solvent), which does not remain in the finished extracts.
The high concentration of biologically active substances in CO2 extracts allows to obtain effective agents based on them even with a low percentage of inputs, which makes them economically sustainable, despite their high price.
CO2 extract is a plant in its "pure" form. With this type of extraction, up to 98% of the biologically active components of the original plant material (including vitamins and trace elements) are preserved.
CO2 extracts can be used in the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries.
The organoleptic properties of the original plant are preserved - smell, taste, color, which makes it possible not to introduce additional aromas and colorings into the recipe.
CO2 extracts are a complex mixture of organic compounds, among which there are substances with antibacterial and fungicidal properties. Because of this, CO2 extracts do not deteriorate over time and can be used alone as vegetable preservatives.
A brief summary
If you want to create and produce effective natural cosmetics, then you cannot do without CO2 extracts. This is not just a new trend in the perfumery and cosmetics market, CO2 extracts are confidently conquering the food and pharmaceutical industries. Despite the high price of this type of extracts, it is more economical to use them instead of other types, due to the high concentration of useful substances in them and the low percentage of input.
CO2 extraction, also known as supercritical carbon dioxide extraction, is a process for extracting useful substances from plants or other raw materials using supercritical (critical point) carbon dioxide as a solvent.
When carbon dioxide is heated and pressurized to a specific point, it becomes supercritical, meaning it is in both the liquid and gas phases at the same time. In this supercritical state, CO2 can use its unique properties to extract various compounds from plants.
The CO2 extraction process is widely used in the food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and other industries. It is the preferred method for extracting active ingredients, such as essential oils, flavonoids, terpenes and other beneficial substances from plants, because it does not leave solvent residues and does not lead to degradation of the ingredients due to high temperature or chemical processes.
CO2 extraction is considered safer and more environmentally friendly than traditional extraction methods that use solvents such as chemicals or heat. Additionally, it allows for controlled extraction of specific ingredients by adjusting pressure and temperature, enabling higher quality output.
