The carrier, and what it decides
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It is a solvent, and solvents are selective
Different constituents dissolve in different media, so an alcohol extract and a glycerin extract of the same botanical are not the same product at different strengths. They contain different things. Switching carriers is a reformulation rather than a substitution.
Alcohol keeps, and narrows the market
It is the traditional carrier, it extracts broadly, and at sufficient strength it is self-preserving, which is why tinctures last. It also rules the product out for a meaningful number of buyers, and it raises questions for products aimed at children.
Glycerin is the usual alternative and it is weaker
It extracts a narrower range and does not preserve as reliably, so a glycerite has a shorter life and may need refrigeration or a preservative. That is a real trade rather than a straight swap, and it changes the shelf life you can print.
Oil-based products are a different shelf-life problem
They do not support microbial growth the way a water-containing product does and they go rancid, which is the oils property’s problem arriving here. Light protection and turnover matter for the same reasons.
The carrier is on the label
It appears in the ingredient statement and buyers read it, particularly for alcohol. It also affects the taste enough to determine whether a dropper product is tolerable, which is a commercial fact rather than a regulatory one.
Strength has to mean something
Ratios and strengths quoted on labels in this category are used inconsistently across the industry. Whatever convention you use, define it in your own specification so the number means the same thing batch to batch, because the panel is a claim about contents.
Say the alcohol content if there is any
Buyers avoid it for religious, medical and personal reasons, and finding out after purchase is the kind of thing that ends a customer relationship. Stating it plainly costs a line and builds more trust than it loses sales.