Supercritical CO2 extracts in cosmetic industry: Current status and future perspectives

Cosmetic products are complex mixtures of ingredients with different physical, chemical and functional properties formulated in order to obtain the product with desired activity and quality. This paper provides a comprehensive review on the effectiveness of the environmentally friendly extraction technique based on the application of GRAS solvent CO2 and high pressures which present many advantages over the conventional processes. Supercritical CO2 (SCO2) proved to be a promising extraction solvent in this process and has the potential to replace the organic toxic solvents. Due to its unique properties, the desirable texture, absence of water or solvent traces, chemical stability and presence of bioactive agents, SCO2 extracts can be easily incorporated into the cosmetic products. Depending on the plant material, the operation parameters and the chemical profile, the obtained extracts can be used as the common cosmetic ingredients (thickeners, emollients, waxes, fragrances, and colorants). Moreover, SCO2 provides a high concentration of bioactive compounds in the final extracts which exhibit many bioactivities in the cosmetic products acting as antioxidants, anti-ageing, photo-protective agents or providing antibacterial activity and inhibition of enzymes, such as tyrosinase, lipoxygenase, collagenase and hyaluronidase. This review highlights the potential application of the SCO2 extracts in the cosmetic industry. The bioactive properties of SCO2 extracts are discussed and their capability for skin health is evaluated.