Is gardenia extract made from the flower or the fruit?
Both are used, and they serve different purposes, so the plant part must be specified. Flower extract is used in skin care and natural fragrance for its floral character and phenolic content. Fruit extract is the source of crocin and geniposide, and it is the industrial origin of the gardenia yellow and gardenia blue natural colourants. The two are not interchangeable.
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How is gardenia blue produced?
It is made by reacting geniposide, an iridoid glycoside from the gardenia fruit, with amino acids under enzymatic conditions. The reaction produces a stable blue pigment. This matters commercially because natural blue is one of the hardest shades to obtain from plant sources, and gardenia blue is one of very few options where synthetic dyes are restricted or unwanted.
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What is gardenia extract used for in skin care?
It is used for its antioxidant-associated phenolic and iridoid constituents and for its long standing in East Asian skin-care tradition, which supports positioning as well as function. Typical use is 0.1 to 5 percent added to the water phase during cool-down. As with all botanical extracts, it should be assessed for colour contribution, since fruit-derived material can tint a pale base.
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Does gardenia extract affect the colour of a finished product?
It can, particularly fruit-derived grades, which carry the yellow crocin pigments that make gardenia a colourant source in the first place. In a white or pale formulation that contribution may be unwelcome. Flower-derived extracts are generally lighter. Colour should be assessed on a trial batch rather than assumed, and the specification should state the expected appearance.
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