-
Are preservatives needed for dry clays and fruit powders
I’m working on a basic natural formulation for a dry clay face cleanser. If I use a dry clay, salt and some fruit powders would it need a preservative? For example:
Rhassoul clay
Alaea red clay and salt blend or fine Himalayan salt
Rose petal powder
Thanks.
Jessica
-
16 Replies
-
Not if it remains anhydrous.
-
“Need” is a relative term.
Do you need a preservative, as in “Is my product at all likely to get contaminated under the majority of conditions it will come in contact with?”
Or, do you need a preservative, as in “Am I likely to get sued if my product gets contaminated in an unusual situation?”
Or lastly, do you need a preservative, as in “Am I likely to get in trouble if the regulatory agency in my country finds out that my product got contaminated in an unusual situation?”
-
What @Bobzchemist said.
I’m of the opinion that since there is no real downside to including a preservative (except preventing your company from using fear marketing) they should be included in most any formula.
-
Thank you everyone, that’s really helpful. I guess I need to take into account that the product would be in the bathroom so could possibly get contaminated with water. Does that give me preservation issues given that the clay will absorb the preservative? Would salt be an appropriate preservative for the ingredients below or would I need to consider something else?
Clay
Alaea red clay and salt blend or fine Himalayan salt
Rosehip seed powder
Pomegranate powder
Thanks.
Jessica
-
Your best bet would be to include some sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate … both are available as powders.
-
Thanks @MarkBroussard, I’ll give that a go.
-
Must need preservative as mentioned ingredients are mostly natural and we don’t know about anti-microbial treatment has been done it by supplier or not. Generally, natural clay contains loads of microbes which should treated primarily by suppliers and then by us. Without water its not possible to apply such kind of products for which product needs to be protected.
-
What if you preserve the water that the dry clay would be mixed in. would that be sufficient?
-
Clay (in water) is one of the hardest ingredients to preserve.
There’s a preservative strategy and reviews here which should help walk you through the process: http://www.makingskincare.com/preservatives
Good luck
-
I’m new here so I first wanted to thank everyone for taking the time to provide such useful information. I’m really thankful to have found this website as being new to making these products, the chemistry is the part that is just over my head a bit, and googling only gets me so far, so I appreciate the expertise.
I had a question I was hoping someone could expand on with dry clay masks.
I see I do not need a preservative if it remains anhydrous. Does adding essential oils make them no longer anydrous and will then require preservatives?
I’m planning on leaving mine in clay/powdered form for a variety of reasons but would like to use some EO for scent purposes.
It will be different clays with other powders such as hibiscus powder, aloe vera *powder*, rosehip botanical extract powder, mango powder, etc…everything would be in dry form except for the EO and then it would be mixed with water in a separate bowl when using.
Thanks again for the help.
-
I think you would have a better chance of your question being answered if you asked your question by starting a new discussion under formulations.
-
No need for a preservative if it’s a mix of dry powders, clays and essential oils. Anhydrous means “without water” … So adding oils (oils are anhydrous) will not create an environment for microbial growth.
-
I know this is an old discussion but I’m hoping y’all are still answering!
As to the last question, how does the product remain a powder after you add the essential oils? Do you reheat it or shortlyso to dry the clay back out? -
@theoracle there are powder fragrances.
-
DAS said:@theoracle there are powder fragrances.
Powdered essential oils? Where might you find such a thing bc a Google search turned up nada.
-
theoracle said:DAS said:@theoracle there are powder fragrances.
Powdered essential oils? Where might you find such a thing bc a Google search turned up nada.
That’s a really good question. I have never heard of a powdered EO…
Log in to reply.