Plant extracts are highly concentrated extracts from leaves, fruits, flowers, roots, or seeds of plants. Compared to essential oils, they are distinguished by a much richer composition and application.
Plant Extracts and Essential Oils: What Are They and How to Distinguish Them?
Natural plant extracts are obtained through supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) extraction. The supercritical CO2 extraction process is conducted in high-pressure equipment at low temperatures, which prevents the thermal decomposition of valuable compounds that are sensitive to high temperatures. Furthermore, the extraction takes place exclusively in an atmosphere of a non-toxic solvent (CO2), which protects substances from oxidation and contamination of the extract by the solvent. A plant extract is a mixture of both volatile and non-volatile health-promoting substances. They have a very rich composition and are a source of unsaturated fatty acids, oleoresins, polyphenols, flavonoids, phytosterols, terpenes, phenylpropane derivatives, antioxidants, active ingredients, as well as natural colors, vitamins, and many others. They are characterized by their dark color (brown, dark green, dark yellow), low volatility, and significantly higher viscosity compared to essential oils. Their rich composition and properties have led to their broad application in medicine, pharmacy, food products, cosmetics, aromatherapy, etc. Depending on the plant from which they were obtained, they possess very valuable properties: anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, expectorant, antitussive, antioxidant, antispasmodic, antiviral, cleansing, soothing, etc.
Essential oils are mixtures composed solely of volatile substances—terpenes or phenylpropane derivatives. They are obtained through steam distillation. Essential oils are characterized by high volatility, and their color depends on the raw material from which they are produced. They are most commonly colorless or yellow, less frequently green or brown. Natural essential oils have found applications in cosmetics and aromatherapy. They possess many valuable properties, which depend on the type of plant from which they are derived. Specifically, they can have relaxing, antidepressant, breathing-enhancing, antibacterial properties, among others.
How do you differentiate between an extract and an essential oil, then?
Extracts are much less volatile than essential oils, which means they last longer on the skin and have a longer-lasting fragrance.
Essential oils are less viscous and do not contain waxes, unlike extracts
Plant extracts contain significantly more medicinal substances because they are extracts from the entire plant, unlike essential oils
Plant extracts have a dark color because natural plant pigments such as chlorophyll are obtained during the extraction process
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Very often, however, we can encounter products that are labeled as extracts by manufacturers but have nothing to do with them.
Products that we incorrectly call extracts
Hydrosols, also known as water extracts, are by-products formed during steam distillation for obtaining essential oils
Macerate, meaning a plant oil with plant extracts. A plant oil is used as a solvent, which is used to soak the given herbs and is macerated for a specified time. As a result of maceration, valuable substances from the plant penetrate into the oil
Water-glycerin solutions. A plant extract obtained by soaking herbs in a solution of water and glycerin
Alcohol solutions. A plant extract obtained by soaking plants in an alcohol solvent
Infusion - a method that involves steeping herbs in hot water, as a result of which active substances are transferred to the water solution, e.g., tea
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