## 1 Introduction
Of the formulations tested, H-S showed the most significant penetration of taxifolin, with a cumulative permeation of 87.739 \(\pm\) 7.457 \(\mathrm{\SIUnitSymbolMicro g}/\mathrm{cm}^{2}\). Finally, biodegradation tests of prepared formulations containing cosmetic raw materials and silymarin were also conducted. Tests on the effect of cosmetic formulations on aerobic biodegradation showed a good level of degradation of the prepared formulations, some of which (O-B and O-S) were classified as readily degradable (OECD) [3]. Recently, there has been an increase in interest in using plants and plant-based materials as potential ingredients in topical medicinal and cosmetic products. Increased environmental awareness among consumers, as well as the widespread belief that plant-based remedies are healthier than those derived from synthetic ingredients, are driving this interest. One such interesting plant seems to be _S. aromatic_ L. _Mytraceae_, which is used only as an ingredient in cosmetic formulations in the form of clove essential oil or eugenol [31; 32; 33]. However, despite its health-promoting potential, the popularity of fermented extracts from this plant is low. In particular, the possibility of its use in cosmetic preparations for topical use is underestimated. There are no reports in the available literature regarding the fermented plant extract (FPE) obtained from _S. aromatic_ L. _Mytraceae_. There is also no information on optimising the fermentation process of clove buds using response surface methodology (RSM). In our article, we propose the possibility of using clove buds to obtain fermented plant extracts with a much higher content of phenolic compounds and higher antioxidant activity than PE from buds. For this purpose, a study of the influence of technological parameters on the fermentation process of clove buds was conducted. During the study of this process, the influence of such technological pa rameters as the type of microorganism, initial sugar content, plant raw material content, and fermentation time was studied in detail. The quantities describing the process were antioxidant activity (AA), total polyphenol content (TPC), and lactic acid efficiency (LA). Particular attention was paid to determining the process parameters at which the main fermentation product (LA) was obtained with the highest efficiency, with simultaneously high values of AA and TPC. Moreover, in this study, we will use response surface methodology (RSM) for the first time in the fermentation of clove buds in the presence of lactic acid bacteria and using molasses, a by-product of the sugar industry. The fermentation process of plant raw materials has been relatively well understood and described in our previous publication [3], but there is still a lack of information on how to optimise the fermentation process to determine optimal process conditions. The study presented here aims to evaluate the influence of process parameters on the antioxidant activity (AA) of fermented plant extracts, the content of phenolic compounds (TPC), and the efficiency of lactic acid (LA). Conducting this study will enable optimisation of the process and the selection of parameters at which the obtained cosmetic raw materials will have the richest chemical composition. In addition, beet molasses, which is a by-product obtained in the production of sucrose from sugar beet, is a relatively cheap, readily available raw material and can be used to produce lactic acid during fermentation (eliminating the need for sugar). After the optimisation process, the chelating (Fe\({}^{2+}\) ions) and reducing (Fe\({}^{3+}\) to Fe\({}^{2+}\) ions) properties were assessed, and the cytotoxicity of the optimised FPE was examined. We used the same methods to evaluate the clove buds extract for comparison. In addition, the possibility of using the spent plant material remaining after the extraction process to prepare activated carbons capable of treating wastewater was investigated.