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Choosing preservative for a cleanser
I made a basic cleanser that I want to use for my hair and face. I have seborrheic dermatitis on my scalp, ears, and face. I’ve tried a lot of different shampoos before deciding to make one myself. Just one anionic surfactant seems to be less irritating than a blend, 7.5% of active matter is enough to cleanse my hair. Conditioning agents are also irritating. That’s why I’m using the simplest formula possible. There’s no thickener because I don’t really like thickened shampoos. I either put this cleanser in a foaming bottle or use it as is.
water to 100%
sodium lauroyl sarcosinate (30%) 25%
ethylhexylglycerin 0.5%
liquid germall plus 0.5%
edta 0.2%
lactic acid q.s.I like how this cleanser works, and my face tolerates it. Unfortunately, my scalp’s condition is not good, and I get a burning sensation all over when I wash my hair. I made a small sample of the same formula with Phenonip (methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, phenoxyethanol) instead of Germall (propylene glycol, diazolidinyl urea, iodopropynyl butylcarbamate), and there was no irritation or any other unwanted effects. When sodium lauroyl sarcosinate isn’t available from my local repacker, I use disodium laureth-3 sulfosuccinate. Is it okay to use Phenonip with these surfactants? It is my understanding that parabens should not be inactivated by them but it’s better safe than sorry. Does using ethylhexylglycerin add anything to preservation in this formula or should I get rid of it?
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6 Replies
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EHG prob helps a bit - esp. with penyoxyethanol, Generally, think I’d looking to challenge testing (esp CTFA) for the answers.
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Thank you for your reply. So far I was able to find labs in my country that only work with companies, which is obviously not possible for me. I will keep searching, of course.
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Where are you?
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Russia, not in any major city. I could find labs that do challenge testing, but judging by the paperwork they require they only intend to work with manufacturers. Also what they offer is a complete testing with all the proper documentation for selling cosmetics, it’s just too expensive.
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I understand. Your system is prob ok if you ensure your raw materials of not contaminated. There’s a fungal/mold gap but shampoos are intrinsically hostile to mold contamination.
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Thank you very much!
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