Extraction of bixin from Bixa Orellana and its application on cosmetic products / Nur Nasuha Husa

Additive is one of the most important components that have been used in most of industries. Colorant is a type of additive that is used to give a better appearance or improve the colour of the end product. However the arising issues that related on the safety, presence of potential nutrition and also the therapeutic effect has causing the users to become more concern about the ingredients in the product that they used. To counter the expanding issues, this research is focusing on the process of extracting natural colorant called bixin from Bixa Orellana or also known as annatto seeds. This extracted colorant then applied in the cosmetic products as an alternative to produce safer and natural based colour additives. The selected extraction process is by using the solvent extraction method and varying the type of solvents used. The extracted sample then undergoes several analyses to characterize the biochemical content which then proven to contain bixin. Methanol is identified to be the best type of solvent to be used for the extraction process in terms of quality of the extracted colorant. As the colorant applied to the product formation, it can be seen that the transparent soap producing a better coloration which is almost the similar to the extracted colour.