Two quotations land for the same botanical. One says 10:1. The other says 20% by HPLC. They look like competing offers for the same thing. They are not comparable at all, and treating them as though they are is one of the most expensive mistakes in botanical sourcing.
The two numbers measure entirely different things. One describes a process; the other describes a content. Here is how to read each, and how to compare offers when suppliers mix the two.
What a ratio extract number means
A ratio — 4:1, 10:1, 20:1 — states how much raw botanical went in relative to how much extract came out. A 10:1 extract means, nominally, that ten kilograms of dried herb produced one kilogram of finished extract.
That is a statement about process concentration. It tells you the material has been concentrated. It does not tell you what it has been concentrated to. Nothing in the ratio commits the supplier to any level of any particular compound.
The consequence is that two 10:1 extracts from different producers can differ substantially in composition, because the ratio is affected by variables the number does not disclose:
- Starting material quality — herb from different origins, seasons, or growing conditions carries different levels of the compounds you care about before extraction even begins.
- Plant part — leaf, aerial parts, root, or whole plant all extract differently.
- Extraction solvent and method — water, ethanol, or a hydro-alcoholic mix pull different fractions.
- How the ratio is calculated — see the native-ratio trap below.
What a standardised extract number means
A standardised extract is assayed to a defined level of a named marker compound, by a stated method. “Asiaticoside 20% by HPLC” commits the supplier to a measurable, verifiable content figure that your own quality team can check on receipt.
This is a statement about content. It says nothing about how much raw herb was consumed to get there, and it does not need to — the number that matters is what is in the drum.
Standardisation is what makes batch-to-batch reproducibility possible. If your formulation depends on a defined actives load, this is the specification you want.
The native ratio trap
This is where ratio material most often disappoints, and it is worth understanding before you order.
A ratio can be quoted on the native extract — the concentrated material itself — or on the finished blended powder after a carrier has been added. Botanical extracts are frequently blended with a carrier such as maltodextrin or dextrin to improve flow, stability, or handling.
A “10:1” that refers to the native extract before blending, and a “10:1” describing a product that is half carrier, describe very different materials at very different real concentrations. Both may be described honestly by their suppliers, using different conventions.
Ask two questions: is the ratio quoted on the native extract or on the finished product, and what carrier is present and at what level? A supplier who cannot answer plainly is telling you something.
Why the two numbers cannot be compared directly
There is no conversion factor between a ratio and a percentage. You cannot calculate that a 10:1 “equals” some particular marker percentage, because the relationship depends on the starting material and the process — the very things the ratio does not disclose.
If you receive one quote as a ratio and another as a standardised percentage, you are not looking at two prices for one product. You are looking at two different products. The only way to compare them is to ask the ratio supplier for a marker assay on their material. Many can provide one; if they can, you suddenly have two comparable figures.
When a ratio extract is the right choice
Ratio material is not inferior — it is different, and there are sound reasons to specify it:
- Your own specification calls for it. Some formulations, monographs, and traditional-use product formats are written against ratios, and substituting a standardised grade would put you out of specification.
- Cost-in-use. Ratio extracts are generally less expensive per kilo than high-percentage standardised grades.
- Whole-extract positioning. Some product formats are marketed on the basis of using an unfractionated extract rather than an isolated marker. That is a formulation and positioning decision for you to make.
The point is not to avoid ratio extracts. It is to know which one you are buying, and not to price a ratio quote against a standardised quote as if they were interchangeable.
When to insist on standardisation
Specify a standardised grade with an assay and method when any of the following apply: your formulation is built around a defined quantity of a named compound; you need batch-to-batch reproducibility you can verify; your destination market or customer requires a stated actives level; or you intend to run incoming verification testing and need a figure to test against.
What to include in your RFQ
- State which you want — a ratio, a standardised grade, or a quote for both so you can compare.
- If standardised: the marker compound, the percentage, and the assay method — for example “asiaticoside 20% by HPLC”.
- If ratio: the ratio, and whether it is quoted native or on the finished product.
- Carrier and excipients — present or not, and at what level.
- A marker assay on ratio material, if the supplier can provide one. This is the single most useful thing to ask for.
- Physical form, particle size, and solubility if your process is sensitive to them.
- Application and destination market, which drive the documentation set.
- Documentation — certificate of analysis showing the method, specification sheet, and safety data sheet.
Regulatory note
Botanical extracts are traded for cosmetic, food, and supplement applications, and the routes carry different documentation and different permitted-use rules by market. Permitted status, use levels, and labelling requirements vary by destination and are the buyer’s responsibility to confirm for the market being supplied. Where a carrier is present, confirm it is acceptable in your destination market and declared correctly on your own labelling. A supplier specification does not substitute for those checks.
Applying this across a catalogue
This distinction runs through every botanical category, not just one ingredient. When comparing listings, check whether the figure shown is a ratio or an assay before comparing prices — and where a listing shows both, treat them as separate offers. The Gotu Kola / Centella asiatica listing is a worked example: it carries both a ratio grade and a full standardised marker matrix.
All specification information on SpecNexa is supplier-declared and provided for sourcing discovery. Buyers should confirm the final agreed specification, including whether a figure is a ratio or an assay, the assay method, carrier content, and batch documentation, directly with the contracting supplier.