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Euxyl PE 9010 use in water based products
Hello everyone,
This is my first post here so please bear with me :#
I’ve been researching the presevative Euxyl PE 9010 (INCI: Phenoxyethanol, ethylhexylglycerin) and its suitability for different types of products.My question is: do you have any experience using it in water based cleansers (with non-ionic and non ethoxylated surfactants) or water based serums ? Do you find that you need to use a solubilizer for the latter?
Here’s what I found so far regarding this matter:
1. Usage rate : 0.5 - 1 % (recommended 0.6 - 0.7% by some suppliers)
2. Solubility: It is only partially soluble in water-based products
while most soluble in oil based products. It is best used in creams, lotions
and serums.3. Use in solutions and water based products like serums:
- Some websites state that it has a water solubility of 1% at 20°C and so If used in a percentage lower than 1% it can be
used in tonics and aqueous solutions without the addition of a solubilizer.
- Others suggest blending it with glycerin or sorbitol before adding it to the formula.
- Others suggest just using a solubilizer (any recs?)4. Use in cleansers with surfactants:
- Phenoxyethanol is inactivited by highly
ethoxylated compounds including polysorbates so do not use with
surfactants. -> What about non ionic non ethoxylated surfactants?
- In surfactant solution systems, the water must
be saturated with phenoxyethanol for activity (??) If the level is too low, it acts as a nutrient for bacteria (??). However, it
can cause viscosity issues in detergent products.
- I’ve seen cleansers with this preservative on the market so I’m thinking it’s possible to use it? If it is, how would you incorporate it in the formula?Sorry for the long post! I just wanted to share what I’ve found and ask for you experience on the matter. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated
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4 Replies
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Think you’re wise to study labels of products similar to those you’re developing. Major companies have access to preservative testing adequate to try different combinations in formulas. Presuming this is a limiting factor for you, try to follow their lead. But you’ll still need to confirm efficacy.
Suggest you have limited confidence in claims of broad spectrum activity - e.g. 9010 alone is not an adequate preservative vs fungi (yeast and mold). Do not consider reports of inactivation absolute, and there are plenty of substrates (food) in formulas for bugs to eat when preservation fails.
1% is more than you need for phenoxyethanol - suggest +/- 0.5%. 9010 is ~90% phenoxyethanol. If your surfactant is anionic and you have enough, you prob don’t need an antifungal preservative.
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Thank you for replying!
If your surfactant is anionic and you have enough, you prob don’t need an antifungal preservative.Could you please clarify this part? What does an anionic surfactant have to do with antifungal activity?
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euxyl 9010 is a great all round preservative. i would use it at 1%.
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YasmineR said:Thank you for replying!If your surfactant is anionic and you have enough, you prob don’t need an antifungal preservative.
Could you please clarify this part? What does an anionic surfactant have to do with antifungal activity?
Literature, FDA/EU recall and extensive experience find shampoos and other anionic surfactant products (esp. with EDTA) intrinsically resistant to fungal (esp. mold) contamination.
Euxyl 9010 is prob good for shampoo but is not a “great all-around preservative”. Alone, it leaves a gap in antifungal efficacy for relevantly susceptible products.
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