Ingredient Declaration: Infusions, Teas & Extracts

Infusions, teas, and extracts are a common component of many soap and cosmetic formulations, but they can create confusion when it comes to the ingredient declaration. Should you list them as “calendula-infused olive oil”? Do you put the solvent (liquid) and the botanical together or separately? And where do they go in the order of ingredients?

In this article, I’ll walk through what an extract is, how it is made, and how it should appear in your ingredient declaration so your labels are accurate and compliant.

What is an Extract?

An extract is the result of soaking a material—usually a plant—in a liquid so that some of the soluble parts are pulled into the liquid. It is essentially the same as making a tea or an infusion.

• If the solvent is water, the result is typcially called an herbal tea or water infusion.
• If the solvent is alcohol, it is often called a tincture.
• If the solvent is an oil, such as olive or sunflower oil, it is usually called an infusion.

In all cases, the process is the same: the plant matter is placed in the liquid, left to steep, and then strained out. What remains is a liquid that contains components of the plant material; the substances that have been extracted from the plant material. The actual amount of the extracted substances is usually quite small (comparatively) and definitely very difficult, or even impossible, to measure.

How Extracts Are Listed

One of the key points about extracts is that the solvent and the extracted material must be listed separately in the ingredient declaration. You do not list “calendula-infused olive oil” as though it were one ingredient. Instead, the declaration includes each ingredient separately:

• Olive oil
• Calendula extract

If you want to include the accepted Latin name, you would use

• Olive (Olea europaea) oil
• Calendula (Calendula officinalis) extract

This principle applies regardless of the solvent. If you prepare a tea of chamomile in water, you list water and chamomile extract separately. If you prepare a tincture of lavender in alcohol, you list alcohol and lavender extract separately.

I explained the broader concept of breaking down blended ingredients in a previous post: Ingredient Declaration – Blended Ingredients. Extracts fall into the same category—they are blended materials and must be separated into their individual components when listed in the ingredient declaration.

Placement in the Ingredient Declaration

When preparing an ingredient declaration for a product, ingredients are listed in descending order of predominance until you reach those present at 1% or less. All ingredients at 1% or less can be listed in any order after the ingredients present at more than 1%.

The oils are easy; they are listed based on the amount of oil you measured and added to the product. If you use a mix of oils, list each one based on the percentage in the whole formulation,

However, as mentioned, the actual amount of botanical matter extracted into the solvent is very small. In fact, it is often difficult to quantify exactly how much calendula or chamomile or lavender is present in the liquid, but as a general rule of thumb it is likely to be a lot less than 1% of the total formulation.

For that reason, it is reasonable—and much easier—to place the extracted material in the “less than 1%” section, without worrying about its precise placement.

If you infuse several different herbs into the oil, each extract should be listed separately in the ingredient declaration.

Step-by-Step Summary

When working with extracts in your formulations:

1. Identify the solvent (water, alcohol, oil).
2. List the solvent by its correct name.
3. List the extracted material separately as “___ extract.”
4. Place the solvent in its correct position by percentage.
5. Place the extract with the other ingredients present at 1% or less.

Final Thoughts

Extracts, infusions, and teas are widely used in handmade soaps and cosmetics. They add botanical benefits and appeal, but they can complicate labeling if you’re not sure how to declare them. The key is to remember that the solvent and the extracted material are listed separately, and the extracted material nearly always belongs in the “1% or less” section.

By following this approach, your ingredient declaration will be accurate, compliant, and easy for both regulators and consumers to understand.