Benefits
Helps preserve product freshness and antioxidant capacity
As a rosemary-based natural antioxidant, this ingredient helps protect lipid-rich foods and personal-care products against oxidative rancidity, supporting freshness and label-claim antioxidant activity in finished products that include it as an excipient.
Supplies food-grade rosemary diterpenes
The extract supplies standardized carnosic acid and carnosol from rosemary in a form designed for consistent dosing in foods and topical products, contributing to overall dietary intake of plant antioxidants when present in everyday consumer goods.
Supports a clean-label antioxidant approach
As a natural-source antioxidant from rosemary leaves, this ingredient is widely used as a clean-label alternative to synthetic antioxidants such as butylated hydroxytoluene, helping manufacturers maintain antioxidant performance while avoiding more controversial additives.
Provides general antioxidant support consistent with rosemary
Rosemary diterpenes have a long history of dietary use and contribute to overall antioxidant support when consumed regularly through culinary rosemary, rosemary extracts, and finished products preserved with rosemary-based ingredients.
Mechanism of action
Chemical quenching by carnosic acid
Under oxidative stress, carnosic acid is consumed and oxidized into multiple derivatives, including carnosol, acting as a chemical quencher of reactive oxygen species and an inhibitor of lipid peroxidation in oils and biological membranes.
Direct radical scavenging by carnosol
Carnosol resists ROS-driven oxidation but inhibits lipid peroxidation through direct interaction with the oxidation process, providing complementary antioxidant chemistry alongside carnosic acid in rosemary diterpene mixtures.
Synergistic phenolic antioxidant activity
Carnosic acid, carnosol, and rosmarinic acid together provide a broad antioxidant capacity across hydrophilic and lipophilic environments, helping protect both bulk oils and oil-in-water emulsions common in foods and cosmetics.
Clinical trials
Mechanistic biochemistry study comparing antioxidant and pro-oxidant properties of carnosol and carnosic acid in microsomal and liposomal lipid systems (Aruoma et al., Xenobiotica).
In vitro lipid peroxidation systems.
Carnosol and carnosic acid potently inhibited lipid peroxidation in microsomal and liposomal systems, outperforming propyl gallate in some assays, while showing distinct chemistry under different oxidative conditions. Provides foundational support for rosemary diterpenes as antioxidants in foods and cosmetics.
In vitro study comparing how carnosic acid and carnosol behave under ROS- and non-ROS-driven lipid oxidation (Loussouarn et al., Plant Physiology / Free Radical Biology Med.).
Lipid oxidation models with and without ROS generation.
Carnosic acid was consumed and oxidized into derivatives including carnosol under ROS conditions, supporting its role as a chemical ROS quencher, while carnosol inhibited lipid peroxidation directly under non-ROS conditions. Confirms complementary antioxidant mechanisms underlying rosemary diterpene blends.