What does 90% active ingredients mean?
Imagine you have a little cup of espresso coffee in front of you, Arabica quality. Coffee is full of many good substances, but they are not all the same. Some of these substances are like little superheroes that do special things for your body. These superheroes are called "active ingredients".
When you read that a product has 90% active extracts, it means that there is a high concentration of these superheroes in that product. It is as if they had taken all the best parts of a plant or a fruit and put them together in one thing, making it super powerful!
Attention: not all "90%" are the same. A product with 90% extracts can be richer and more effective than other cosmetics with the same percentage. In the same way, there are products with 90% extracts that are superior to those that claim 98% or 99%. This is because the effectiveness of a cosmetic does not depend only on the percentage of extracts indicated, but on two key factors: the high concentration and the variety of the extracts used. Let's take a closer look at both.
Why is it important to have a high concentration of active extracts?
Having a high concentration of active ingredients means that the product could be more effective. An example: Think of an arnica gel with 90% active extracts. Arnica is a plant that helps to soothe and provide relief. Having a gel with such a high concentration of arnica means that it could be very effective in helping you recover.
Not all products are the same: Even if a product says it has 90% active extracts, it does not mean that it is better than another. It is important to read the label carefully and check what the other ingredients and extracts used are.
The "variety of extracts" factor is what makes a natural cosmetic more effective
When talking about effectiveness in cosmetics, it is not only the concentration of active extracts that counts, but also the variety and the method by which they are obtained. There are different extraction techniques, including glyceric, aqueous, alcoholic extracts, and mother tinctures, each of which allows specific active ingredients to be extracted from plants.
A single extraction method might not capture the entire spectrum of beneficial substances in the plant, while using multiple extracts allows for a more complete range of active ingredients. For example, many cosmetics claim high percentages of extracts (such as 90% or 98%), but they often rely on only one or two extraction techniques. In OFFICINALIS cosmetics, however, the "90%" label refers to the use of four different extracts, each designed to maximize the product's effectiveness. In this way, we can ensure the extraction of the entire phytocomplex of the flower, making the most of all its beneficial properties.
Instead of two extracts, Officinalis uses 4 extracts for its cosmetics:
1-3% enhanced extracts: These are extracts obtained from the top of the flower, which is the part richest in active substances.
10% saturated glyceric extracts: Glyceric extracts are like highly concentrated plant juices. Instead of using water to extract the good parts of the plant, glycerin is used, which is a sweet and syrupy substance. Glycerin helps to dissolve and keep the plant's active ingredients active, which are the parts that give it its special properties.
For all the extracts, we at OFFICINALIS use saturated flowers, which means putting the maximum amount of flowers into the mixture. This process allows us to extract all the colors, fragrances, and beneficial properties of the flower, concentrating them in a small bottle.
20-30% saturated mother tinctures: mother tinctures are prepared using flowers that are macerated in a mixture of alcohol and water. Here too, the saturation of flowers helps us extract more natural active ingredients.
50% saturated officinal water: This super active saturated extract is obtained by immersing a very high quantity of fresh flowers and leaves in boiling water and steam.
In conclusion: When you see "90% active extracts" written, it means that the product is highly concentrated and could be more effective. But remember, not all products are the same, and it is important to read the labels carefully and ask adults for advice.
