The Aragonese Research and Agro-food Technology Center (CITA) collaborates with the company Karicia in the European project CARUSO to develop new sustainable cosmetic ingredients. The initiative aims to enhance the natural resources of the POCTEFA territory through the creation of innovative personal care cosmetic products.
CITA has provided Karicia with essential rosemary oil (Salvia rosmarinus) obtained on a semi-industrial scale through steam distillation, as well as its hydrosol. Additionally, it is working with lemon balm hydrosol (Melissa officinalis). Researchers are quantifying the main molecules in both hydrosols and extracting phenolic compounds from the distilled plant material to obtain plant extracts that will be incorporated into cosmetic formulations with dermo-cosmetic properties.
The initiative utilizes by-products from distillation that are usually employed as biomass for energy or organic matter. In the case of lemon balm, the use of these by-products is particularly relevant due to its low yield in essential oil; despite its high market value, obtaining derivative products would improve the economic return of the operations.
CARUSO is co-financed by 65% from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the INTERREG VI-A Spain-France-Andorra (POCTEFA) 2021-2027 program, with a total budget of €685,619. The project is coordinated by the University of Zaragoza and includes the University of Pau and the Adour Countries (UPPA), Karicia Cosmetics, Grand Thermes Bagnères de Bigorre, Les Thermes d’Argèles Gazost, and Thermes Barèges Hautes-Pyrénées.
