Let’s stir up some magic in the lab with today’s hot topic: How To Choose Botanical Extracts For High-Performance Skincare! 

A single plant can become three completely different skincare ingredients depending on how it is extracted. Change the solvent and you change what dissolves, how the ingredient smells, how stable it is and how it behaves inside your emulsion. This article breaks down CO₂ extracts, glycerites and tinctures so you can confidently choose the right botanical extract for skincare formulas that stay stable, sensorially elegant and compliant.

What Extraction Really Determines

Extraction is essentially selective pulling. CO₂ extracts capture lipophilic molecules and delicate volatiles with almost no heat. Glycerites attract water-soluble components into a humectant matrix. Tinctures bring ethanol and water together to extract a broad range of polar and semi-polar compounds. Each method affects solubility, potency, colour intensity, fragrance behaviour, oxidation tendency and your final formulation strategy.

CO₂ Extracts: Lipophilic, Potent and Perfect for Balms, Oils and Emulsion Oil Phases

Supercritical CO₂ behaves like a solvent under high pressure and low temperature, then evaporates cleanly. The result is a concentrated oleoresin, select extract or total extract.

Solubility
CO₂ extracts dissolve beautifully into oils, esters and hydrocarbons. They do not dissolve in water, so they belong either in anhydrous formats or in the oil phase of emulsions.

Potency
CO₂ extraction preserves fragile aromatics and lipophilic actives far better than steam distillation or maceration. This gives intense aroma, strong activity at low doses and excellent authenticity of scent. Always request marker levels when planning performance claims.

Preservation and Oxidation
They do not introduce microbial risk, but they do increase the oxidation load of your oil phase. Plan antioxidants accordingly.

When to use CO₂ extracts
They shine in facial oils, balms, anhydrous serums and rich emulsions where you want concentrated aromatics or lipophilic actives like chamomile sesquiterpenes or calendula triterpenes.

Watch-outs
Colour can be highly concentrated and may shift over time. Some CO₂ extracts are waxy and require gentle warming.

Glycerites: Water-Soluble, Gentle and Perfect for Clear Serums, Gels and Light Emulsions

Glycerites are plant macerations in glycerin, sometimes with a water component.

Solubility
They blend easily into water phases, gels and surfactant systems. They are not appropriate for oils unless supported by a solubiliser or microemulsion system.

Potency
Glycerin is a mild solvent that mainly extracts hydrophilic and mid-polarity compounds. You usually need a higher inclusion rate compared to CO₂ extracts if you want a noticeable sensory effect, but they are excellent for gentle formulas.

Preservation
They behave like aqueous ingredients. Even if the supplier preserves them, the whole system still needs proper preservation.

When to use glycerites
They are ideal for toners, hydrating gels and serums where you want clarity, a mild botanical touch and a smooth aqueous profile.

Watch-outs
High usage levels can increase tack or thin polymer gels. Glycerites may shift the colour of a white cream, and sugars or proteins can increase preservation demands.

Tinctures: Broad Extraction Power with an Alcohol-Water System

Tinctures pull a wide range of polar and semi-polar molecules.

Solubility
They incorporate into water phases within the formula’s alcohol tolerance. They can help solubilise small amounts of volatile aromatics but separate in oil-only systems.

Potency
The broadest extraction range of the three. This makes tinctures a strong choice for water-based products requiring a concentrated active profile.

Preservation and Sensory
Ethanol contributes to microbial control but is not a standalone preservative. It may influence skin feel, especially at low pH or in high-humectant systems.

When to use tinctures
Use them in toners, essences or serums where a small dose must deliver noticeable activity and where listing Alcohol on the INCI is acceptable.

Watch-outs
Flammability in storage, possible scent drift, potential label softening and perception concerns in sensitive-skin categories.

Solubility Determines Placement: Oil or Water

Decide your extract based on where it needs to live:

• If your formula is anhydrous, choose CO₂ extracts.
• If your formula is water-clear and needs gentle botanical extracts for skincare, choose glycerites.
• If you need strong botanical impact and can use alcohol, tinctures are appropriate.
• In emulsions, keep it simple: CO₂ in oil, glycerites & tinctures in water.

As we end this topic for today, let me leave you with my final thoughts

Extraction is not just a technical detail. It determines how your botanical extracts behave inside the formula, how stable they remain on the shelf and how credible your brand story feels. CO₂ extracts excel in oil-based formulas, glycerites shine in clear and gentle water phases, and tinctures provide strong activity where alcohol use is acceptable. Choose with intention, place the extract in its correct phase, stabilise it correctly and your hero ingredient will finally perform like a true hero.

Here’s to formulas that work and brands that thrive!
From my lab to yours,

Rose