Pyrethrum [Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium; Compositae] flowers are extracted with supercritical and liquefied CO2. In the pressure region of 100 bar, yields of total pyrethrins obtained with liquefied CO2 are slightly higher than those obtained with supercritical gases; in the extract, the content of pyrethrins is substantially higher (up to 50%) than in commercially available petroleum ether extracts. Precipitation in 2 steps enriches the active ingredients to over 60%. In the temperature region between 20 and 40.degree., there is no decomposition of the pyrethrins which are thermally instable.