Infusions & Extracts
An infusion, extract or tincture is a combination a liquid solvent (such as water, alcohol or oil) and plant material. The plant material is soaked in the liquid, some of the plant molecules are absorbed into the liquid, and then the remaining plant matter is removed. The result is a blend of the liquid and some of the plant molecules.
Infusions
When an infusion, extract or tincture is used in a cosmetic product it is considered a blended ingredient. As such, each of its components must be listed separately in the ingredient declaration, placed in its correct position based on its percentage of the whole.1
The carrier liquid is normally placed based on the amount measured and added to the product. Note, however, that if the carrier liquid is, itself, a blend, then the quantity of each component liquid is used to determine its placement in the ingredient declaration.
The extracted portion of the plant matter is typically very small and the actual amount is virtually impossible to calculate. It is therefore normally placed with the ingredients that are present in the finished product at 1% or less.
The correct name for the extracted matter is "extract."2 For example, "calendula flower extract" or "calendula (calendula officinalis) flower extract."3 See also Ingredient Declaration: The Common Name.
It is not correct to list the combined infusion with “(and)” similar to the way food ingredients are sometimes listed. For example, “olive oil (and) calendula extract” would be incorrect.4
Example
For a soap made with the following formulation:
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Calendula Infused Olive Oil | 20 oz |
| Coconut Oil | 20 z |
| Palm Oil | 20 oz |
| Water | 19 oz |
| Sodium Hydroxide | 9.5 oz |
| Fragrance | 2 oz |
| Calendula Flowers (whole) | .5 oz |
| Iron Oxides (color additive) | .5 oz |
The final ingredient declaration placed on the outside of the package would read:
Ingredients: Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Palm Oil ,Water, Sodium Hydroxide, Fragrance, Calendula Flower Extract, Calendula Flowers, and Iron Oxides.
NOTE: components of the olive oil infusion are colored for easy identification.
1 FDA: Cosmetic Labeling Guide – Order of Predominance (example)
2 “Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract.” International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook. Personal Care Products Council, 2016.
3 FDA. Cosmetic Ingredient Names
4 FDA. Cosmetic Labeling Guide – Order of Predominance (example)
