Posted by Danny Stanzl on 14th Jan 2021

Understanding the solubility of extracts

Plant extracts are an important part of plant based skincare

Plant extracts are an important part of plant based skincare and we are very proud of the plant extracts that we sell. Many of the cosmetic plant extracts on our website are grown by us at our Farm in Banstead, Surrey and are handpicked and extracted.

Grown in Great Britain on the Surrey Hills we use three different mediums to product our extracts from plants

We extract using 3 different mediums; Glycerin, Dipropylene glycol and Oil. This summer we will also be adding a range of alcohol based extracts and tinctures.

Why do we use different mediums to extract our cosmetic extracts?

Our cosmetic plant extracts will find their way in a wide variety of different types of cosmetic products. Some will find their way into oil based products (for example massages oils and facial oils), some will find themselves in water based products (for example facial toners) whilst others will be used in emulsions (such as creams and lotions).

For this reason we use a variety of different medium to create our extracts. Over the course of 2021 we will be offering all of our extracts in different medium, so that you have the choice when formulating.

Using the different types of extract

Extracts in Oil

Extracts in oil (such as our Seaweed extract) can be used in oil based products such as massage oil, simply by adding and stirring. This simple method adds the therapeutic properties of ingredients that are often very hard to combine into oil based products such as Seaweed.

Extracts in Dipropylene glycol (DPG)

We use Dipropylene glycol (DPG) to extract some of the more difficult to extract plant substances as it is excellent at extracting their properties. These extracts are miscible in water (making them perfect in the formulation of Shower Gels, Face Washes, Shampoos and Bath Foams) whilst also be soluble in some vegetable based.

Adding Dipropylene glycol based plant extracts to your formulation is done during the formulation or added after being produced. Simple stirring in water based products will easily add the extract to your formulation.

If you are producing a formulation from raw ingredients, then adding the extract into the water stage will make dispersion easy throughout your product.

Extracts in Glycerin

Extracts in Glycerin are super easy to add to water based products. For example for addition to a facial toner or spritz.

Simply add the glycerin based extract directly to the water component and mix throughly. The Glycerin will disperse throughout the water and add the beneficial properties to the water. These types of extracts are exceptionally useful at adding the properties of products that would be typically impossible to add to a water based product, for example Argan extract.

The simplicity of adding your cosmetic plant extract to a naturallythinking cosmetic base

Adding the Plant Extract to a Naturallythinking Cosmetic Base

The above video shows how easy it is to combine the plant extract to the cosmetic base to create your own plant based skincare. In the example above we use our Face Wash base, but the method is the same for all of our Cosmetic bases.

Stirring the Plant Extract into the Cosmetic Base

The above video shows how easy it is to stir the Plant extract into the cosmetic base. In this example we used our Face Wash base, but all of our bases are just as easy to produce your own Plant based skincare.