The persistence of bioactive chemicals in plant extracts throughout processing and storage is a significant problem in the advancement of functional foods and nutraceuticals. Mentha piperita L. (mint) possesses significant antioxidants, including phenolics and vitamin C, which are prone to degradation. This study compares the efficacy of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and maltodextrin as encapsulation agents for Mentha piperita L. (mint) extract powder. Mint leaves were encapsulated using a complex inclusion method with 1 % CMC and 5 % maltodextrin solutions, while a control sample contained no wall material. The samples were thin-layer dried at 55°C for 6 h and then ground into powder. Physicochemical properties, including bulk and tapped density, flowability, cohesiveness, water solubility index (WSI), caking behavior, color, total phenolic content (TPC), radical scavenging activity as DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl), and ascorbic acid retention, were evaluated. The maltodextrin-coated sample exhibited superior powder properties and better color retention compared to both the CMC-coated and control samples. In terms of bioactive compounds, the maltodextrin-coated powder exhibited significantly TPC, expressed as milligrams of gallic acid equivalents (GAE) per gram (98.87 ± 0.22 mg GAE/g), and stronger antioxidant activity, indicated by a lower half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) value in the DPPH assay (32.20 ± 2.49 µg/mL), compared to the control sample (TPC = 62.03 ± 0.17 mg GAE/g; IC₅₀ = 42.00 ± 3.00 µg/mL). Vitamin C retention was also higher in the maltodextrin-coated sample. The CMC-coated sample demonstrated stable bioactive compound retention (TPC = 83.13 ± 0.08 mg GAE/g, IC50 = 53.10 ± 4.80 μg/mL), but its powder properties were inferior. These findings suggest that maltodextrin is more effective than CMC for preserving the bioactive components of mint extract, making it a better choice for functional food and nutraceutical applications.