What is so Special About CO2 Plant Extracts?

What sorts of plant extracts are there? 

Plant extracts play a central role in natural cosmetics. There are different manufacturing methods to extract the active ingredients. Plant extracts are obtained from fresh or dried plants. The extracts are divided into aqueous-alcoholic extracts, solutions in glycerin, pentylene glycol or dry extracts. The water-soluble as well as the oil-soluble components of a plant improve the natural skin functions.

What is the importance of antioxidants?

In addition to 98% triglycerides, plants have a large number of accompanying substances that has so far hardly been researched. These so-called secondary accompanying substances include antioxidants such as vitamins, tannins, fragrances and colorants. They strengthen a plant's resistance to cold, heat, UV radiation, moisture and pests. In skin care, antioxidants have an anti-inflammatory effect in a purely natural way, they can compensate for environmental cell damage, stimulate blood circulation, delay skin aging or they can calm the skin.

What are the characteristics of traditional plant extracts?

Traditionally, the oily active ingredients with their fatty acids are obtained from the seeds and fruits of the plants by cold pressing. Ethereal essences are obtained by steam distillation or with the help of extractants such as alcohol (ethanol, alcohol denat.) or hexane. Ethanol contains denaturants that are classified as toxic and mutagenic according to the EU REACH regulation. These harmful chemicals remain permanently in the plant extract and also cause problems when they are disposed of in the environment. They are not biodegradable for decades. They accumulate in the soil, in rivers, lakes and in the groundwater. At myrto, we do not use any alcoholic plant extracts. Our all-natural essential oils in natural perfumes, hair and body care are obtained exclusively by steam distillation.

What are the benefits of CO2 plant extracts?

When using CO2 extraction, the use of dangerous chemicals and solvents can be completely dispensed with. CO2 extracts are therefore solvent-free. The extraction process takes place without the supply of oxygen, so that the sensitive natural substances are protected from oxidation. CO2 plant extracts are microbiologically sterile, antibacterial and contain the entire spectrum of natural ingredients of the plant in an authentic entirety. No other process enables the complete removal of possible heavy metals and other toxic loads in the plant material. CO2 extractions dissolve significantly more active ingredients containing oil than is possible through pure pressing. In the case of sensitive raw materials, in particular, they contain ingredients that are not found in conventionally produced plant extracts or are nowhere near as highly concentrated.

Supercritical CO2 extraction is the most modern and effective method for extracting ingredients from heat-sensitive plant and flower material without solvents, without reducing the active ingredient content. The CO2 plant extracts we use are produced extremely gently and residue-free with natural carbon dioxide as an extraction agent. The highly pure spring carbonic acid is of volcanic origin from the Eifel. After the extraction, the carbon dioxide is recycled in an environmentally friendly way and used repeatedly. Highly concentrated and very pure extracts are produced under high pressure, in an oxygen-free space and at a low temperature of only 31 degrees Celsius.

The complex equipment for CO2 extraction is designed for an extremely high pressure of 75 bar, which corresponds to a depth of 4000 m below sea level. All that is required for the supercritical CO2 plant extract is a low temperature of around 31 degrees Celsius, so that even heat-sensitive, sensitive bioactive ingredients and aromas are optimally preserved. Compared to other extraction methods, this results primarily in a higher content of sensitive antioxidants such as flavonoids, vitamins, carotenoids, tocopherols, sterols and anthocyanins. These active ingredients act as powerful radical scavengers against environmental cell damage, inflammation and premature skin aging. They stimulate the collagen formation in the tissue. In our myrto organic natural cosmetics, we prefer to use CO2 extracts of certified organic quality, such as millet seeds, chamomile blossoms, sea buckthorn, schizandra, rosemary, pomegranate, vanilla, rosehip seeds, amaranth seeds, and chia seeds.