Green extraction of plant antimicrobials for sustainable cosmetic formulations

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

The replacement of synthetic preservatives by natural antimicrobial compounds has become a major challenge for the cosmetic industry, driven by regulatory restrictions, environmental concerns, and increasing consumer demand for sustainable formulations. Plant-derived secondary metabolites, including polyphenols, terpenoids, alkaloids, and essential oil constituents, represent promising alternatives owing to their antimicrobial, antioxidant, and multifunctional biological properties. However, their successful implementation depends not only on their intrinsic activity but also on extraction strategy, formulation compatibility, and regulatory compliance. This review provides an integrated overview of eco-extraction approaches for recovering natural antimicrobial compounds for cosmetic preservation. Green solvents and intensified extraction technologies are critically discussed together with the relationships between extraction conditions, phytochemical composition, and antimicrobial efficacy, highlighting that biological performance depends more on extract composition than on extraction yield alone. Formulation challenges, safety considerations, regulatory frameworks, and industrial implementation are also examined. Finally, emerging computational approaches, including predictive solvent selection, metabolomics, molecular networking, and artificial intelligence, are presented as promising tools to accelerate the discovery and optimization of sustainable natural preservative systems. Together, these advances provide an integrated framework for developing the next generation of safe, effective, and sustainable cosmetic preservatives.