role of extract?

[Zing]

I'm still working on my dupe of a lip butter. What exactly is the role of an extract (lemon fruit, hibiscus flower, orange flower) in skin care products? Some sources say it's for fragrance, others say it's odorless, it's for helping skin. Can essential oils be substituted? Thanks,

 

[KimW]

As you likely know, extracts are made from a raw/plant material treated with a solvent. Usually, when folks think of "extract" they think along the lines of alcohol being the solvent, as in Vanilla Extract. Lemon fruit and hibiscus can act as exfoliants. Lemon because of its citric acid content (and some alpha-hydroxy acid) and hibiscus because of its alpha-hydroxy acid content. Orange Flower extract can be photosensitive - that is, it makes your skin sensitive to UV.

If you use too much hibiscus extract in a formula, for example, you might yourself walking around with red skin, or swollen lips, for a few days - ask me how I know this. I wouldn't use any of those extracts in a lip balm formula - but that's just me. I know there are lip products out there which contain AHAs and people seem to love them.

The site I rely on most for learning the properties of herbs and essential oils is nih.gov. Here's their page on Citrus EOs, that includes extracts:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6073409/
Don't let all the sciency info get to you. Just read the intro so that you know the article is really about what you're seeking and then skip (way) down to the "Conclusion" section.

 

[Zing]

As you likely know, extracts are made from a raw/plant material treated with a solvent. Usually, when folks think of "extract" they think along the lines of alcohol being the solvent, as in Vanilla Extract. Lemon fruit and hibiscus can act as exfoliants. Lemon because of its citric acid content (and some alpha-hydroxy acid) and hibiscus because of its alpha-hydroxy acid content. Orange Flower extract can be photosensitive - that is, it makes your skin sensitive to UV.

If you use too much hibiscus extract in a formula, for example, you might yourself walking around with red skin, or swollen lips, for a few days - ask me how I know this. I wouldn't use any of those extracts in a lip balm formula - but that's just me. I know there are lip products out there which contain AHAs and people seem to love them.

The site I rely on most for learning the properties of herbs and essential oils is nih.gov. Here's their page on Citrus EOs, that includes extracts:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6073409/
Don't let all the sciency info get to you. Just read the intro so that you know the article is really about what you're seeking and then skip (way) down to the "Conclusion" section.

Okay, but while scrolling down just sent me into a PTSD episode of college organic chemistry. LOL. Thanks for the tip on omitting them. Not only do I not have any experience with them, I can't even find a vendor.

 

[AliOop]

I'd be very careful about adding EOs to a lip balm since lip skin is thinner and more sensitive than skin on hands, legs, etc. So the dilution rate would surely include less EO than one would add to a lotion bar or body butter.

FWIW, lip "flavor" oils in general are actually lip-safe scents, not true flavors. It's the strong smell that fools us into thinking we can taste the lip balm. So if you can't use much of the EO due to safety issues, you may not get the strong scent that contributes to the "flavor."

ETA: the hibiscus extract might be for color. Hibiscus powder is often used in homemade cosmetics.

 

[Aromasuzie]

It all depends on how the “extract” is derived. You can get CO2 “extract” oils, they’re often used for flavouring, who ever is selling the extracts should be able to explain their usage. I’m a big fan of German chamomile CO2 extract, it actually has a greater anti-inflammatory action than the steam distilled essential oil, and nicer smelling too.