Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating Question regarding Lip Gloss and Preservatives

  • Question regarding Lip Gloss and Preservatives

    Posted by beechez on September 21, 2020 at 5:30 pm

    Hello all! 

    tl;dr: Should I include a preservative in my DIY lipgloss?

    I would like to preface this question by explaining that I am really a hobbyist in this space, but I am having a very hard time getting a straight answer to my question among other hobbyists. While researching my question online,  I found this forum, so am hoping its ok to ask here. 

    I make lipglosses, mostly from pre-packaged materials, and just for myself. However, I have had friends and family ask to have some of the product for themselves and others. I want to make sure that what I give out is as safe as a handmade product can be. I started searching to see if there was a rule of thumb around preservatives in DIY lipgloss, but there seems to be disagreement in the DIY community on if you need preservative, because the product doesn’t have any water directly in it. I would rather include it if there is even a chance of it being needed and I wanted to run it past someone more knowledgeable. 

    My Current “Formula”

    Prepackaged Gel Base 65%
    Made up of : Hydrogenated Polyisobutene (and) Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer (and) Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer. I don’t have the breakdown of these ingredients within the base, but supposedly Hydrogenated Polyisobutene is 95% .

    Coconut Oil 15%

    Castor Oil 9.5%

    Vitamin E .5%

    Various Colorants (Mica/Oil based pigments) 10%

    I am considering updating so that 1% of the batch is 
    Phenoxyethanol.

    Is this the right move? Aside from keeping my workspace clean and sterile, do I need anything else? I was reading some pretty scary stories on the internet about homemade products. 

    I have noticed that the company who sells this base also offers a pre-made “oil blend” you can purchase to add to the base. When reviewing the ingredients, I noticed there was a preservative in that. I cannot use that product however, because it’s got almond oil in it, and two of my friends are allergic to almonds. 

    Thanks so much in advance, *any* advice is welcomed. 

    B

    beechez replied 3 years, 6 months ago 2 Members · 4 Replies
  • 4 Replies
  • oldperry

    Member
    September 21, 2020 at 5:47 pm

    I personally think you should add one.

    There is almost no downside to including a preservative, and it will protect users from the off chance that the moisture from their lips creates an environment on and in your product in which microbes could grow. 

  • beechez

    Member
    September 21, 2020 at 9:05 pm

    Perry said:

    I personally think you should add one.

    Thank you so much! Is the one listed ok for the ingredients I use?

  • oldperry

    Member
    September 21, 2020 at 10:02 pm

    Yes, that one should work.

  • beechez

    Member
    September 22, 2020 at 5:20 am

    Thank you! 

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