1. Steps in the development of a natural cosmetic active ingredient

The development of a natural cosmetic active ingredient can be broken down into several stages, from the choice of plant and its extraction, to the technical development of the active ingredient and its incorporation into a finished product. Figure 1 shows a typical example of the methodology that can be adopted.

Nevertheless, there is no universal methodology that applies to all manufacturers of natural active ingredients. Steps can be skipped, added or reversed, depending on the manufacturer's expertise, willingness to carry out further research and available technologies. For example, the toxicity of the plant can be assessed upstream and used as a filter to select plants of interest. Figure...