Plantacare 2000

Analytical standards of maleic acid, DL-malic acid, D-(−)-quinic acid, (+)-catechin, (−)-epicatechin, (−)-catechin 3-gallate, L-methionine, L-tryptophan, as well as potassium pyrosulfite (E224), were purchased from Merck (Darmstadt, Germany); gallic acid, quercetin, ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt and 6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchromane-2-carboxylic acid (Trolox) from POL-AURA (Zabrze, Poland); tartaric acid from Chempur (,Piekary Slaskie, Poland); D-(+)-xylose and sucrose from SUPELCO (Pennsylvania, PA, USA), and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl from Sigma Aldrich (Saint Louis, MO, USA).
All standards used were of analytical grade (≥99% purity).
The shower gel formulations were made using certified, vegetable-based raw materials which are approved for the production of natural products according to ECOCERS and COSMOS standards: sodium coco-sulfate (Sulfopon 1216 G, BASF, Ludwigshafen, Germany), decyl glucoside (Plantacare 2000, BASF, Ludwigshafen, Germany), cocamidopropyl betaine (Rokamina K30, PCC-Excol, Brzeg Dolny, Poland), benzyl alcohol, benzoic acid, dehydroacetic acid, tocopherol as a preservative (Schülke & Mayr GmbH, Norderstedt, Germany), sodium chloride (POCH, Gliwice, Poland), citric acid (Krakchemia, Kraków, Poland), and distilled water.

For the production of PlantCrystals, plant materials with different properties were selected (Table 1). Plantacare 2000, an C8–C16 fatty alcohol polyglucoside, served as stabilizer for the formulations and was obtained from BASF AG (Ludwigshafen, Germany). Purified water was used as a dispersion medium and was obtained from a PURELAB Flex 2 (ELGA LabWater, High Wycombe, UK). All other chemicals were used as received.