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Preservatives
Hello to everyone who’s reading this post!!
Today I want to ask to some of you (who are more experienced in this field than I am) to help me figure out which preservative I could use for some cream-like products. These include body cream, facial cream, body butter and body scrub. The company has established a policy of paraben free and formaldehyde free preservatives (before, the products used to have DDMH plus). So far I have found some suppliers with the following alternatives:- Verstatil PC: Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl Glycol
- Saliguard EHGP: Ethylhexylglycerin, phenoxyethanol
- Saliguard EZ: Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,3 Propanediol
I would like to know if some of you have used these preservatives in your products, and how have them worked. Which one would you recommend me to use?Thanks in advance for your suggestions. If you need further information, please let me know.Best Regards,Nathalia from Colombia. -
18 Replies
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To properly suggest a preservative one would need to see the Formula. There is no “one size fits all” preservative, even if you are just making “cream-like products.”
Also, remember preservation isn’t just a matter of adding a preservative and then blissfully being done. Proper cGMP, packaging, pH, etc. must be considered. This is what we refer to as hurdle technology.
Preservation is not horribly hard if you select the right preservative for the Formulation and follow the hurdle approach. However it is an error to overly simplify the issue.
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@Nathalia:
The preservatives you are asking about would all have a broad pH activity range, particularly on the alkaline side, up to pH 12. However, if your formulation has a final pH of 5 or less, there may be some better alternatives for you as @Microformulation points out, depending on your fomulation.
Are you familiar with the “hurdle” approach to preservation that @Microformulation referenced? Your approach to preservation will be somewhat different if your final formulation is below pH 6 as opposed to above pH 6.
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Here’s a post from a previous discussion that you might find helpful:
Preservation is a very complex issue and those of us formulating in the
“Natural” realm face challenges as the choice of preservatives are more
limited and the preservative options are not as efficacious.
Preservation is not as simple as adding 1% of a preservative to your
formulation. You best think of it from the perspective of a
“preservation systems” approach:(1) Follow strict
GMP: Simple things like always wearing gloves when formulating, wiping
down all of your equipment and vessels with alcohol immediately before
use.(2) Make certain your are using a broad spectrum preservative blend that is effective against bacteria, yeast & mold.(3)
An effective option is to use as a base, organic acid preservative
blends that have a long history of use in the food industry (effective
against Fungi - yeasts & molds):Potassium Sorbate/Sorbic AcidSodium Benzoate/Benzoic AcidDehydroacetic AcidExamples are: Gluconolactone/Sodium Benzoate, Dehydroacetic Acid/Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Alcohol/Benzoic Acid/Sorbic AcidOther
newer options include: Sodium Levulinate, Sodium Anisate, Anisic Acid
(Parfum), Salicylic Acid (Organic or Aspen Bark Extract), Citric Acid(4)
Adjust the pH of your final formulation to 5.0 or below. Since the
natural acid mantle barrier of the skin is pH 4.7 to 5.1, formulating at
pH <4.5 not only enhances your preservation efficacy, it also
minimally disrupts the acid mantle barrier.(5) Use preservative boosters:(a)
Chelating Agents: Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate (0.2%) + Citric
Acid (.02%) is as effective as EDTA in boosting preservative efficacy(b)
Glycols: 1,3-Propanediol, Glycerin, Caprylyl Glycol: Help reduce
bacterial growth by reducing free water activity. Plus, these are good
humectants/moisturizers. Since Glycerin has a very sticky feel on the
skin, you might consider using 1,3-Propanediol at 5% and Glycine at 2%
in your formulations.(c) Phenethyl Alcohol - found in many essential oils, it suppresses odor causing bacteria, and smells like Rose.(d) Ethylhexylglycerin: A nice emollient that inhibits bacterial growth.You
will run across much information that natural preservatives include
honey, essential oils, Radish Root Extract, Honeysuckle, etc., but these
should not be relied upon as preservatives, but ingredients in your
formulation, and, at best, preservative boosters. Don’t fall into the
trap of thinking that adding Radish Root Ferment and Honey is going to
preserve your formulation … might as well just throw in some Kimchi -
Here is the link to an absolutely brilliant presentation David Steinberg has given on numerous occasions. It covers preservation in an easily understandable manner; http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.midwestscc.org%2Fblog2%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fpresentations%2FJan2012CurrentTrendsinCosmeticPreservation.pdf&ei=oLwWVeTHGoe5ggToi4DABg&usg=AFQjCNHojfoTT6uVRhFlXz3kFgAu8AHWjg&sig2=QUhmKcayqexdNFSMwa483Q&bvm=bv.89381419,d.eXY
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For those of you who are unaware, and this relates to the presentation referenced above by @Microformulation, if you use Schuelke & Mayr Preservatives or Preservative Boosters in your formulations, Schuelke will perform a 6 inoculation cycle (6 weeks) KOKO preservative challenge test. All you need to do is pay for the shipping to Germany. I recently sent 18 formulations to Scheulke, all were KOKO tested, all passed and the grand total was $200 in shipping charges.
@IQNatha: Schuelke have preservatives in their Euxyl and Sensiva product lines that are similar to the ones you have listed in your post. -
for what it’s worth, I’ve always used Euxyl PE9010 from Schülke & Mayr (INCI: Phenoxyethanol / Ethylhexylglycerin) to preserve creams, and I’ve always found it remarkably efficacious and reliable
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@Bill_Toge PE9010 is my hands down favorite if the product is not a surfactant system. Although I have never gotten a clear answer from Schulke, many microbiologists don’t recommend it with surfactants and polysorbates as these could inactivate the preservative. Never saw the concern in Schulkes literature.
Also evey once in awhile I will get push back against Phenoxyethanol. Usually this issue with Phenoxyethanol arises from Markerters and Mommy blogger formulators.
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Yes, I recall reading some research wherein Phenoxyethanol was inactivated by Polysorbates in particular and somewhat less so by surfactsnts.
The Marketer/Mommy Blogger issue with Phenoxyethanol stems from an FDA warning letter regarding a nipple cream … Mommy’s Bliss … that used Phenoxyethanol as a preservative in the nipple cream for women with nursing infants. Phenoxyethanol can be toxic if ingested, particularly by infants.All it takes is one incident for an ingredient to develop a questionable rep by those who only read half the paper or don’t understand the implications. I think Phenoxyethanol has been banned in cosmetics in Europe, if I am not mistaken. -
With the speed the preservatives are being dumped everyday I foresee a very strong chance of ‘use & throw’ products extensively.
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Phenoxyethanol is approved in Europe. It is limited to 1% by the French.
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@MarkBroussard Could you advice any material how to formulate Sodium Anisate , Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate and Sodium Levulinate combination for natural skincare product? Is there appropriate product in the market, which contains this component combination? Thanks.
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@mauksh:
Purchase Dermofeel 1388 from Dr. Straetman’s … Sodium Anisate (and) Sodium Levulinate in Glycerin … use at 3.0%. Add 1% SLL.
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@manuksh
I have just received the Dermosoft®1388 with sodium anisate and sodium levulinate today. I pair it up with caprylyl glycol and glyceryl caprylate.
Problem with the latter 2 is they decrease the viscosity, I’m now experimenting with these to see how far I can go.Personally, I’m not opposed to any preservative, whether it’s a paraben or a formaldehyde releaser. It’s just not always easy to get here.
(people sometimes seem to forget there is more formaldehyde in their fruit or veggies (yes, also the ecological/organic ones) than there is in a daycream or a vaccine) -
never had a problem with formaldehyde re-leasers and never failed microbial challenge.
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Thanks everybody. I will also do some experiments to decide which product to use. Currently my preservative is Benzylalcohol, dehydroacetic acid. My concern is that it can be inactivated by nonionic emulsifier.
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@manuksh
The smell of BA + DHA is terrible (it’s the DHA, ’cause BA alone smells lovely), how do you mask it in higher %? I only use it as a booster at 0,2% sometimes. -
@Doreen81 you are right regarding the smelling. I use 0.8% and combine with essential oils. So the smell becomes not so bad. Therefore I am going to replace it with Dermofeel 1388 .
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