• Formulating

  Denatured Alcohol Preservative Free Percentage?

  Posted by CosmoMan on October 10, 2019 at 12:37 am

  I normally make alcohol free aftershaves, but my new venture is to work with denatured alcohol so I can create alcohol aftershaves and colognes. Reading labels I see some alcohol based aftershaves have no preservatives. Since products that have water require a preservative, where can I find what the minimum denatured alcohol percentage must be to not have a preservative?
  Here’s, an example, the ingredients of an aftershave that I have.
  Alcohol Denat., Aqua, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Sweet Orange) Peel Extract, Myristica Fragans (Nutmeg) Oil, Piper Nigrum (Black Pepper) Extract, Canarium Luzonicum (Elemi) oil, Pelargonium Graveolens (Geranium) Oil, Pogostemon Cablin (Patchouli) Oil, Vetiveria Zizanoides (Vetiver) Oil, Parfum (Fragrance), Isopropyl Myristate, Linalool, Amyl Cinnamal, Citronellol, Hydroxycitronellal, Limonene

  CosmoMan replied 4 years, 7 months ago 2 Members · 4 Replies
• 4 Replies

• 

  Pharma

  Member

  October 10, 2019 at 5:25 am

  Rule of thumbs:

  >20%: Microbes stop growing

  40-70%: Microbes die

  >70%: Useless
• 

  CosmoMan

  Member

  October 11, 2019 at 1:59 pm

  Pharma said:

  Rule of thumbs:

  >20%: Microbes stop growing

  40-70%: Microbes die

  >70%: Useless

   Is >70%: Useless defined as, we can’t use this high of an amount?
  Thanks.

• 

  Pharma

  Member

  October 11, 2019 at 5:58 pm

  For disinfection, a certain amount of water is required. Nearly anhydrous alcohol shows some activity against flue viruses but apart from that niche use, everything above 70% is wasted money IMHO.

• 

  CosmoMan

  Member

  October 13, 2019 at 4:54 pm

  Pharma,
  I’d like to say thank you. 

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