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White wavy lines texture on a surfaceProfile: Saffron Plant Extract

Profile: Saffron Plant Extract

Commonly known as: Crocus Sativus Flower Extract (INCI), also known as Saffron Crocus, or red.
Botanical name: Crocus sativus L.
Extraction process: Solvent extraction.
Family: Iridaceae.
Part of the plant extracted: Stigmas of flowers.
Location: Originating from Greece, then spreading all around the Mediterranean basin, to Western Europe and Asia.
Flowering: In autumn, from October to November.
Provenance, origin: Lot (France).
Phytochemical composition: Carotenoids (crocine, safranal, picrocrocin, crocetin), flavonoids (kaempferol), polysaccharides, vitamins (vitamin B6, B9, C) and minerals (magnesium, manganese, iron).
Sensorial properties: Appearance: Liquid; Colour: Yellow - Orange; Scent: Pungent, floral, woody, with metallic, aniseed and camphor notes.
Physical characteristics: Soluble in water; Insoluble in fats; Density: 1.130 - 1.180 g/cm3; pH: 4.0 - 5.5; Recommended usage percentage: 1 to 3%.
Benefits: Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-ageing, healing, moisturising, photoprotective.
Concerns: All skin typologies; All hair types.

Details

Properties

  • Anti-inflammatory: Reducing the inflammatory response by regulating pro-inflammatory signalling pathways that cause redness, itching, and sensations of heat;

  • Antioxidant: Protects cells from oxidation and therefore from the action of free radicals by neutralising them through electron donation;

  • Anti-ageing: Delaying skin ageing by blocking the activity of elastase, collagenase, and hyaluronidase, enzymes responsible for the degradation of elastin, collagen, and hyaluronic acid

  • Healing: Accelerating the healing process by stimulating the formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) and by inducing the migration and differentiation of keratinocytes;

  • Moisturiser: Promotes the absorption and retention of water through the presence of polysaccharides, allowing for a supple and plump skin;

  • Photoprotective: Protecting the skin from the effects of UV rays by increasing the sun protection factor (SPF) of the sun care products in which it is added, in addition to having an SPF of 6.6;

  • Protector: Protecting the genes of skin cells from the disruption of the circadian cycle caused by UV rays, thus contributing to the proper functioning of biological processes regulated by the circadian cycle.

Applications

  • Facial Care (serums, exfoliants, masks, day and night creams, sun care, lip balms);

  • Body Care (hand cream, solid soaps);

  • Hair Care (shampoos) ;

  • Makeups (foundation bases).

Method of Preservation

Store at room temperature in a cool and dry place, protected from direct sunlight, moisture and heat.

Contraindications, Usage Precautions

Saffron extract issuitable for all skin types and poses no risks. It is even suitable for pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as young children. However, we advise those with a food allergy to saffron to exercise caution.

Find out more

The cultivation of saffron is an ancestral practice dating back to around 5,000 years BC. This precious spice is the most expensive in the world, selling between 30 and 40 euros per gram, its price following that of gold. Its high cost is due to the intensive manual labour required: 130 to 200 flowers are needed to obtain 5 grams of fresh stigmas, which will yield 1 gram of dried saffron. In the past, the purple flower of saffron adorned the heads of priests, notably in the temple of Venus, the goddess of love. In antiquity, a young man named Crocus fell in love with the nymph Smilax. This passion was bewitched when Smilax transformed him into a saffron flower. The fiery orange stigmas of this flower symbolise Crocus's immortal passion. Thus, the flower took the name Crocus sativus. It is also said that Cleopatra used saffron in the first toilet water, known as "kyphi", which later became a sacred incense for the Egyptian pharaohs. "Crocus sativus" is a Latin term derived from the Greek word "krokos", meaning filament or hair, in reference to the shape of the stigmas. The word "saffron" comes from the Latin "safranum", drawn from the Arabo-Persian "za'faran" meaning yellow. The term "sativus" refers to its cultivation, as saffron is primarily grown for its stigmas.