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Issue
31 — December 2002 |
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Natural raw materials are very much in demand in cosmetics. In skin and
hair care formulations, traditional and exotic botanical extracts are in
the first place among active ingredients. They may be strategically used
in many ways to substantiate product claims.
In the facial skin care sector, the efficacy of botantical extracts may,
for example, be used for such claims as moisturizing, soothing and restructuring
of the skin. Extracts from aloe vera, marigold, linden or camomile are applied
in numerous, internationally newly launched products, which have soothing,
anti-microbial and anti-irritating effects.
Not every plant extract fulfills the requirements for the use of real claim substantiations.
High-quality plant extracts with a natural content of active ingredients which
provide the desired efficacy are applied in a series of internationally newly
launched products, such as the Herbalia, Plantactiv and Aloveria product range.
The following table gives an overview of the botanical extracts offered
by Cognis. The plant extracts of the Herbalia range are offered as standardized
and purified extracts. Pure products are available in the Plantactiv range.
Table: Botanicals
Portfolio
* Herbalia, Plantactiv and Aloveria are registered trademarks
of the Cognis group.
Botanical extracts are solid or liquid concentrates which are obtained from
dried vegetable plant material. They contain a multitude of components and
work synergistically. The manufacturer is faced with the challenge to define
the quality of a botanical material and to make it reproducible.
To secure a high quality of plant extracts, a number of basic requirements
has to be fulfilled in the production. Three criteria are of importance.
Firstly, guidelines for the selection of raw materials, and secondly a validated
production process to guarantee a high content of the active material are
necessary. As the last step in the production of botanicals, appropriate
analytical control parameters are required.
In the selection of the raw material it is of major importance to ensure
that the raw material used is always obtained from the same subspecies of
the plant because subspecies differ in their composition and in the concentration
of the components. If the raw material is collected in the wild, its identity
has to be proven. The part in which the active ingredient is identified
is furthermore of importance, since leaves, for example, contain other substances
than roots or blossoms.
Secondly, a validated production process that ensures a high active content
is required. Manufacturers will then be able to substantiate claims made
about specific effects of a botanical product. For every plant an optimal
process has to be developed so that a consistent quality is guaranteed.
By means of percolation, a complete extraction method in which the solvent
is added continuously to the raw material, the highest content of actives
is obtained. By using a mild spray-drying process these extracts may be
further concentrated. Pure natural plant extracts provide the highest efficacy.
Quality control is a third major point with regard to the production of
botanical extracts. The concentration of the substances which are responsible
for the efficacy is measurable with modern analytical methods. This quality
control tool is called standardization. Standardization means that the plant
extract contains a specific concentration of the active substance. As the
active ingredient is present at the same concentration in each batch, the
extract has a controlled, consistent and certified
quality.
If a cosmetic manufacturer wants to use botanical extracts to substantiate the
claims of his product, only standardized extracts and isolated substances fulfill
the requirements for this use. The product safety of many plant extracts which
are available today and which have neither been tested toxicologically nor dermatologically
is often based on literature references or on experience from the traditional
use of the plants.
In high-quality extracts this comparison is not always possible due to the
high content of the plant ingredients. Therefore, toxicological and dermatological
safety assessments are highly recommended.
Contact address :
Cognis Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG
Postfach 13 01 64
D-40551 Düsseldorf Germany
Phone: ++ 49 (211) -7940-2567
FAX: ++ 49 (211) -798-2187
E-Mail: Sybille Buchwald-Werner@Cognis.com
