INCI: usually Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
Botanical name: Salvia rosmarinus — formerly Rosmarinus officinalis
Botanical source: Leaves of rosemary
Source: Italy

Rosemary CO₂ extract is obtained from the leaves of rosemary, a resilient aromatic shrub native to the Mediterranean region. Although the plant is now botanically accepted as Salvia rosmarinus, the older name Rosmarinus officinalis is still commonly used in cosmetic INCI names. Kew lists Salvia rosmarinus as the accepted species, native to the Mediterranean.

Unlike rosemary essential oil, rosemary CO₂ extract is used mainly for its antioxidant-rich fraction. It contains phenolic diterpenes such as carnosic acid and carnosol, which are recognised as the principal antioxidant components of rosemary leaf extract. Supercritical CO₂ extracts can be especially rich in these compounds.

In SKAAI formulas, we use rosemary CO₂ extract with restraint to help protect delicate botanical oils from oxidation and support the freshness and stability of the formula. It is not there to perfume the product or create a strong herbal scent, but to help preserve the integrity of the lipid blend.

This fits SKAAI’s preservation-based approach beautifully: caring not only for the skin, but also for the quality and stability of the ingredients themselves.

A concentrated rosemary leaf extract used with restraint to help protect SKAAI’s delicate botanical oils from oxidation and support the freshness of the formula.