Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating General Compare Phenoxyethanol and Ethylhexylglycerin

  • Compare Phenoxyethanol and Ethylhexylglycerin

    Posted by 1501 on August 24, 2020 at 3:52 am

    Hello, I’m new here. As my title, now I have 2 types of preservative, Phenoxyethanol and Ethylhexylglycerin. Can you please tell me what is better in the formula? The preserve ability, antibacteria spectrum, the the possibility of irritation, blabla….  Thank you so much

    1501 replied 4 years, 4 months ago 3 Members · 7 Replies
  • 7 Replies
  • ngarayeva001

    Member
    August 24, 2020 at 7:03 am

    Haven’t you noticed that if a product includes them, there are both? Euxyl PE9010 by Schulke.

  • 1501

    Member
    August 24, 2020 at 10:04 am

    Haven’t you noticed that if a product includes them, there are both? Euxyl PE9010 by Schulke.

    Yeah I know, but there are several products on the market that use only 1 of  2 ingredients. And when I ask the prices of raw materials, the price of ethylhexylglycerin is much higher than phenoxyethanol.

    So I wonder what differrent between them.

  • ngarayeva001

    Member
    August 24, 2020 at 11:27 am

    If you see products that are using one of them as the only preservative these are either not properly preserved or LOI isn’t correct. A preservative must cover from gram positive bacteria, gram negative bacteria, yeast and mold. There’s no single preservative that covers from all four. Phenoxyethanol is effective from  gram positive and gram negative bacteria and has no coverage for yeast and mould. EHG has some coverage for yeast and mold but I would argue that not enough. Although PE9010 is considered broadspectrum on paper it isn’t the most reliable preservative. 

  • ngarayeva001

    Member
    August 24, 2020 at 11:28 am

    EHG is used in 9010 at 10%. Higher price says nothing until you determine use rate.

  • OldPerry

    Member
    August 24, 2020 at 12:57 pm

    The main difference is that at concentrations safely used in cosmetics Ethylhexylglycerin is not a preservative. It will not kill microbes. It simply reduces cell membrane integrity however, microbes can recover from this.  Phenoxyethanol actually kills microbes. That is why ethylhexylglycerin is promoted by reputable companies as a “preservative booster.”  Some less reliable companies market it as a preservative.  It is not a preservative.

    Here is a good study which looks at the mechanism of action of ethylhexylglycerin and how it boosts the effects of phenoxyethanol. 

  • 1501

    Member
    August 25, 2020 at 2:13 am

    If you see products that are using one of them as the only preservative these are either not properly preserved or LOI isn’t correct. A preservative must cover from gram positive bacteria, gram negative bacteria, yeast and mold. There’s no single preservative that covers from all four. Phenoxyethanol is effective from  gram positive and gram negative bacteria and has no coverage for yeast and mould. EHG has some coverage for yeast and mold but I would argue that not enough. Although PE9010 is considered broadspectrum on paper it isn’t the most reliable preservative. 

    Oh, thankyou, I read a article and they said phenoxyethanol has fungicidal, bactericidal, insecticidal, and germicidal properties. So I think it’s good with yeast and mold. Maybe I should search for more science articles which disscuss about preservative mechanisms. Thank you so much for useful informations.

  • 1501

    Member
    August 25, 2020 at 2:15 am

    Perry said:

    The main difference is that at concentrations safely used in cosmetics Ethylhexylglycerin is not a preservative. It will not kill microbes. It simply reduces cell membrane integrity however, microbes can recover from this.  Phenoxyethanol actually kills microbes. That is why ethylhexylglycerin is promoted by reputable companies as a “preservative booster.”  Some less reliable companies market it as a preservative.  It is not a preservative.

    Here is a good study which looks at the mechanism of action of ethylhexylglycerin and how it boosts the effects of phenoxyethanol. 

    Thank you, I’ll read the study carefully.

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