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Does adding a low percentage of potassium sorbate really boost mold protection?
Thinking of this mold preservation system for a water-based shampoo:
OPTION 1
0.5% sodium benzoate, pH ~4.5
OPTION 2
0.5% sodium benzoate, 0.1% EDTA, pH ~4.5
OPTION 3
0.5% sodium benzoate, 0.1% potassium sorbate pH ~4.5
ChatGPT thinks 1 and 2 are insufficient yeast/mold protection, but that 3 is sufficient.
Do you agree? ChatGPT is so smart sometimes, but can be very wrong about many things…
I would have hoped that Option 2 is also sufficient.
Would adding such a low percentage of pot sorbate to sod benzo really help?
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3 Replies
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Excellent example of ChatGPT is garbage. Worrying about mold in shampoo is a waste of time.
Shampoos and surfactant products in general very , very rarely suffer mold contamination. Benzoate is not used in shampoos for mold, it’s for bacteria and its interact with surfactants in that regard increases efficacy beyond expectations.
I know some feel the combination of benzoate with sorbate facilitates shampoo preservation. ‘ve not seen this - in my experience benzoate/benzyl alcohol is superior.
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My surfactant is coco glucoside. For shampoo, the percentage is higher (ex, 20%) but for face wash, I use a much lower rate: ~5%. Do you think mold risk is still low if I preserve it with sodium benzoate, say 0.5% and keep it at pH ~4.5? Even without EDTA?
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No. I’m not aware that cocoglucoside surfactants have the same interaction with benzoate as SLS, etc.
Think benzoate alone is not enough and you do need EDTA in any case.
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