Purpose of FAQ Cosmetic Ingredient Price List How do I order What is the refund policy How to use Hair Care Ingredients What is a Herbal Extract What are the benefits of using a Herbal Extract Solubility of Herbal Extracts Usage of Herbal Extracts vs Plants How do you store an Herbal Extract How do you use a Herbal Extract What is an MDS Liquid Herbal Extracts Dried Plants Henna Why are Herbal Extracts expensive compared to dried plants Can Nature Shop get me herbal extracts not listed in its catalogue What are Fruit and Vegetable Powders What is the benefit of the Fruit/Veg powders over normal juice Are all Fruit/Veg powders water soluble How are Fruit/Veg powders priced How can I use spray dried Fruit/veg powders Are Fruit/Veg Powders edible How are some of Nature Shops colours priced How are Natural colours extracted How do we know the colours will remain when used in cosmetics How are Nature Shops Oils priced Is there a minimum quantity for any ingredient Cosmetic Butters What are Oleoresins Aloe Vera Ingredients Does Nature Shop offer organic ingredients What is Green Papaya used for in Cosmetics How do I know about new ingredients Explanation on Ingredient Forms Disclaimer Purpose of FAQ This FAQ - Frequently asked questions is to provide more information on the ingredients we carry as well as information on contacting us, ordering etc. Top Cosmetic Ingredient Price List Contact us via email for a price list. Top How do I order Click on the link to order . We are in the process of constructing a Web based ordering system but in the interim, you can email, call or fax us and we will call back to confirm your order.Top What is the refund policy The details are mentioned on our policy page which can be accessed by clicking on the this link.Top What is a Herbal Extract Extracts are concentrated forms of the botanical parts of a plant - leaf root etc. The concentration is expressed as a ratio referred to as the "herb ratio". What this means is how much of the raw/dried herb is used to produce 1 part of the extract. For example Henna Extract has a herb ratio of 1:5, that is 5 Kgs of herb is used to produce 1 Kg of extract.All Nature Shop's extracts are powders.Top What are the benefits of using a Herbal Extract All botanical plants used in cosmetics or as a food ingredient contains compounds that are beneficial to humans. It is often the case that to obtain sufficient benefit of the compound a large quantity of the herb had to be consumed or used in the process. Herbal extracts being concentrated provide a large quantitative value of the benefit in small doses. For example Nature Shop's Organic Green Tea is standardised to contain 60% polyphenols which is the beneficial compound. The information on the concentration of the active compound is provided in the specification/MDS. Top Solubility of Herbal Extracts Unless specified, all our extracts are soluble in water. In oil they would most likely form an emulsion depending on the quantity used. Top Usage of Herbal Extracts vs Plants Most plants parts used in cosmetics are dried and it's a moot point on whether they deliver the intended benefit when used in an cosmetic compared to a extract. They definitely serve, as a decorative item within the cosmetic such as soap which is not possible using an extract. In terms of usage, a lot more of the plant than the extract will be required to achieve the identical benefit. If water solubility is desired, an extract is better than a plant. For example in soaps, you can dissolve the extract in the water prior to adding the lye or you can add it to the final stage to form an emulsion.Top How do you store an Herbal Extract Extracts can be stored in a cool dry place and on average has a shelf life of one year.Top How do you use a Herbal Extract The Herb ratio specifies the amount of extract you will need as a replacement of the actual raw herb. For example if your recipe called for 5gms of dried rose petals in 1Kg of water, you would typically substitute 1gm of rose petal extract in 1Kg of water. The Herb ratio in this instance is 1 (extract): 5(raw rose petal). For new recipe formulations, it will help to start your concept on the amount of raw material you will need and from that you can work out the extent of extract that can be used as a substitute. Please note that some raw material like Dried Rose petals is not soluble in water and hence their infusions into the recipe will not be as concentrated as an equivalent amount of rose extract which is completly soluble in water. The herb ratio cannot be used as an exact science into formulations but a close guide to assist with experimentations. Top What is an MDS MDS stands for Material Data Sheet. Its the technical specification, which provides a lot of detail on the product. All Nature Shop's ingredients will be accompanied with its MDS.Top Liquid Herbal Extracts Liquid Herbal Extracts are more soluble in water than the powdered equivalent. We do not keep liquid herbal extracts as it has a shorter shelf life and added handling costs. Both forms have the same levels of the active compound.Top Dried Plants If the quantity required is sufficiently large we can look at it on a case to case basis. Please contact us. Top Henna We retail natural Henna. Natural Henna produces a deep mahogany red or chocolate brown stain when used as a dye depending on the hair colour. Henna Extract cannot be used as a dye as its water soluble. It functions as a conditioner in products such as shampoos. Top Why are Herbal Extracts expensive compared to Dried plants Cost is based on the herb ratio. The trade-off in terms of its usage is that a very small quantity will provide the desired benefit compared to an equivalent amount of the plant. We offer great deals for assorted herbal extracts purchased in orders above 50Kg. Please Contact us for more information.Top Can Nature Shop get me herbal extracts not listed in its catalogue Herbal extracts is huge area and our suppliers offer much more variety than we carry. We can try and source your requirements but there will be a minimum order quantity. Please contact us. Top What are Fruit and Vegetable Powders All Nature Shop's fruit and vegetable powders are spray dried. Spray drying is the technology used to make powdered instant coffee, milk powders etc. and it has been extended to fruit and vegetable juices/pulp. These are concentrated forms of the juice and the usage is specified by a factor called the "reconstitution ratio". This ratio specifies how much water is needed for 1 part of the powder to reconstitute the juice.Top What is the benefit of the Fruit/Veg powders over normal juice There are many benefits, the most important being the lack of preservatives in spray dried products due to the absence of moisture in the product. Storage is another benefit - on average its shelf life is 1 year when stored in a cool, dry place. Usage benefit - you only need to reconstitute the juice on need. Top Are all Fruit/Veg powders water soluble Unless specified all spray dried fruit/veg powders are soluble in water. Top How are Fruit/Veg powders priced The expense is related to the concentration, which is indirectly indicated by the reconstitution ratio. You need to compare the price based on the measure of juice that can be produced by the powder and not on the weight of the powder. Top How can I use spray dried Fruit/veg powders You can use it identical to normal juice after reconstitution. Top Are Fruit/Veg Powders edible Absolutely. Its 100% natural.Top How are Nature Shops colours priced Units of colour is measured by a couple of methods such as colour value or Optical Density etc. The higher the unit of colour the more concentrated is the colour and the more raw material is required to make it. Hence the expense. The trade off comes in terms of usage - you will need much less of the ingredient compared to a product with lower colour value. Some colours such as Chlorophyll naturally do not retain its colour and has to be modified for usage. The extent of modification helps to retain the colour and hence is more expensive. Nature Shops colour is a concentrated food grade product and in terms of usage retains a superior hue for a miniscule application. Top How are Natural colours extracted Natural Colours are extracted by two broad methods - solvants such as alcohol, hexane etc. or using liquid CO2. The latter is a more recent technology and is more expensive to run. All Nature Shop's liquid colours are solvant extracted except Red Beet, which is a spray dried powder. The solvant is removed at the last stage of the process and the residual amount is what is indicated on the MDS. Normally its around 10 to 20 ppm - parts per million which is what is accepted by Australian Food Standards. Top How do we know the colours will remain when used in cosmetics In general all the natural colours offered are used in cosmetics in some form or the other. The issue on how it reacts with different chemicals such as lye can only be determined by product trials. We are not experts at all facets of cosmetic formulations but where we have attempted limited trials we can offer suggestions based on our experiences. Please contact us for more information.Top How are Nature Shops Oils priced Essential Oils expense is related to the olfactory notes of the oil or put it simply the strength of its aroma. The stronger the aroma, the more expensive the product and the less you will need to achieve the same result. The majority of Nature Shop's oils are food grade products with an intense aroma. Test the quality by a small sample to see if it works for your business. We offer great deals for assorted oils purchased in orders 50Kg and above. Contact us for more information.Top Is there a minimum quantity for any ingredient The minimum quantity for cosmetic users is indicated on the price list. Please ignore the minimum quantity mentioned on the MDS as it relates to bulk food customers. Top Cosmetic Butters We primarily focus on tropical cosmetic butters that are indicated to offer better healing properties than other butters. We source our product directly from a manufacturer and can offer competitive prices for bulk orders of 25Kg and upwards.Please contact us. Top What are Oleoresins Oleoresins are extracts that have the essential oil and the resinous part of the herb/spice. Its mainly extracted using solvants which are then removed as part of the final step. These products are used primarily in food products and in a limited sense in cosmetics, for example vanilla. The extracts can be viscous or a free flowing liquid. As concentrated products very little of the extract will be required for an equivalent flavour - for example 1 Kg of Rosemary Oleoresin is produced from 20Kg of Rosemary herbs. Top Aloe Vera Ingredients We presently retail 3 Gels which are made using Aloe Vera as well as water soluble Aloe Vera extract powder. The gels are Aloe Vera Gel, Aloe Vera and Cumber Gel and Aloe Vera Papaya Gel. The Gels require proper asceptic handling conditions and should be repacked in food grade neutral plastic containers. As natural Aloe Vera Gel is susceptible to baterial infection due to mould etc. at normal room temperature, these Gels contain the widely used cosmetic preservatives DMDM hydantoin and Kathon to stablise the product and to prevent mould , mildew etc. Top Does Nature Shop offer organic ingredients We offer a range of Australian Certified Organic ingredients which is listed on our organic page. Top How do I know about new ingredients We can either email you if you prefer this option or alternatively on our Home page we have a small side bar which provides details of the new ingredients. Top What is Green Papaya used for in cosmetics Two forms of green papaya is marketed by Nature Shop - Green Papaya Pulp Powder and Papain. The primary enzyme of Green papaya is Papain and this sparingly soluble powder is used in some cosmetics as a softener in hand and face creams. Green papaya pulp powder itself can be used as an exfoliating product in face masks as its insoluble in water. The primary use of both products is in the food industry. Top Explanation on Ingredient Forms A document describing these ingredient forms can be downloaded by clicking here.Top Disclaimer The information on products in Nature Shop's Web site and catalogue are merely typical guides and is believed to be true, accurate, and reliable to the best of our knowledge. No warranty as to accuracy, completeness, or results is expressed or implied in such data. Since we cannot anticipate the conditions of use of the information or material supplied by us, and since these conditions are not under our control, it is the user's responsibility to determine the conditions for his own and specific purpose or use.Top
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