Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating Non irritating preservative for children skin

  • Non irritating preservative for children skin

    Posted by Valentyna on June 26, 2021 at 6:13 am

    Hello all, I was wondering if you could recommend based on your experiences safe and non irritating preservative for children skin care. I have tried Georgard Ecocert since it was recommended as better option for ecoceret creams. However,  when I tried cream on my son, he didn’t like it saying that the cream was burning him. 
    Thank you 😊

    Abdullah replied 2 years, 10 months ago 4 Members · 13 Replies
  • 13 Replies
  • Padmavathi

    Member
    June 26, 2021 at 7:36 am

    I’ve tried Euxyl K 712 at 1.5% for kids skin and hair care products, both leave on and rinse off formulations (pH 5.5). We even got all the products tested for safety, with consumer evaluation study. Give it a try. 

  • PhilGeis

    Member
    June 26, 2021 at 11:13 am

    Did you confirm efficacy of your system?

    Euxyl K712 is not an esp effective preservative system and fairly useless at ~ neutral and higher.

    Especially for very young children and other potentially compromised users- suggest folks subordinate their eco/natural/sustainable sentiments to efficacy and don;t buy the boiler plate “broad spectrum”. 

  • Abdullah

    Member
    June 27, 2021 at 3:08 am

    At what percentage have you used geogard ECT and how old is your son? 

    I also don’t like benzyl alcohol on my skin. 

    You can use a blend of phenoxyethanol with other preservatives.

  • Padmavathi

    Member
    June 28, 2021 at 6:47 am

    @PhilGeis Yes, We did full stability study. All the products were at pH 5.5. 
    The products were for 5-16 year olds. 
    I had to use it because the client wanted it to be ‘natural’ and had a lot of ‘free from’ claims. 
    Tried geoguard and spectrastats, there was drop in visocity. 

  • PhilGeis

    Member
    June 28, 2021 at 9:12 am

    I appreciate your effort. Did you use USP 51 as the preservatuve test?  What is your packaging?  Do you also produce the product. 

  • Padmavathi

    Member
    June 28, 2021 at 10:58 am

    My client did challenge test at an external lab.
    HDPE bottles. 
    No, I don’t manufacture it.

  • PhilGeis

    Member
    June 28, 2021 at 12:40 pm

    My advice - deliver alternative/”natural” formulas with caution that these may not perform as well as traditional systems.  
    Background - these kinds of systems have driven micro recalls from a few per year ~2000 to levels not seen since the 1960’s and 70’s - 2017’s were the most I recall in my 40 year career.   With this level of failure in making - they’re prob worse Vin use.   irtually all were alternative natural etc. preservative and FDA even published an article cocnering the issue.
    The few that involved me after the fact all passed in stability with USP 51.

  • Valentyna

    Member
    July 5, 2021 at 4:23 am

    I’ve tried Euxyl K 712 at 1.5% for kids skin and hair care products, both leave on and rinse off formulations (pH 5.5). We even got all the products tested for safety, with consumer evaluation study. Give it a try. 

    thank you! where do you buy it from in Canada? My son has a very sensitive skin affected by eczema, so finding a preservative that works and doesn’t hurt him has been a challenge 

  • Valentyna

    Member
    July 5, 2021 at 4:29 am

    PhilGeis said:

    Did you confirm efficacy of your system?

    Euxyl K712 is not an esp effective preservative system and fairly useless at ~ neutral and higher.

    Especially for very young children and other potentially compromised users- suggest folks subordinate their eco/natural/sustainable sentiments to efficacy and don;t buy the boiler plate “broad spectrum”. 

    Hi @PhilGeis! thank you for your comment. I don’t know how to confirm efficacy of my system. I use broad spectrum preservative and try to have PH between 5.5-6. I would ideally want it to be PH7 for children, but there is no preservative I have found so far and that is available to me through stores that wouldn’t irritate the skin. Do you know of a better system rather than one broad spectrum preservative system? I appreciate your input. 

  • Valentyna

    Member
    July 5, 2021 at 4:33 am

    Abdullah said:

    At what percentage have you used geogard ECT and how old is your son? 

    I also don’t like benzyl alcohol on my skin. 

    You can use a blend of phenoxyethanol with other preservatives.

    Hi @Abdullah, I have used it at its max percentage recommended by a supplier which is 1%. It is terrible. my son is 3.5 y/o and he absolutely hated the cream preserved with Geogard. It would make him cry. What other preservatives would you recommend? I have not worked with phenoxyethanol before. Is it a preservative itself or more like a booster?

  • Valentyna

    Member
    July 5, 2021 at 4:52 am

    PhilGeis said:

    My advice - deliver alternative/”natural” formulas with caution that these may not perform as well as traditional systems.  
    Background - these kinds of systems have driven micro recalls from a few per year ~2000 to levels not seen since the 1960’s and 70’s - 2017’s were the most I recall in my 40 year career.   With this level of failure in making - they’re prob worse Vin use.   irtually all were alternative natural etc. preservative and FDA even published an article cocnering the issue.
    The few that involved me after the fact all passed in stability with USP 51.

    o my… I didn’t know it. I guess there are a lot more people who would like to make their own cosmetic now than before. Im a beginner and have been making creams for less than 2 years. I have done a lot of self studying as well as studying throughout 2 different UK schools for home skin care formulations. When it comes to preservative, I use Tocopherol if I have oils in my formula plus one broad spectrum preservative. What would you recommend as a better preservative? I don’t make any claims, but I also don’t want to use preservatives that could hurt and cause skin problems if used as a long term skin care 

  • PhilGeis

    Member
    July 5, 2021 at 8:29 am

    Appreciate your effort and concerns.   NO preservative is effectively broad spectrum - that is marketing hype.  Even with the traditional materials parabens Kathon etc - you’ll need a second and if you go the alternative/natural route you’ll need even more.  Look at labels of similar  products from major manufacturers e.g. P&G, J&J, Unilever, Estee, Avon.  

  • Abdullah

    Member
    July 5, 2021 at 8:40 am

    Valentyna said:

    Abdullah said:

    At what percentage have you used geogard ECT and how old is your son? 

    I also don’t like benzyl alcohol on my skin. 

    You can use a blend of phenoxyethanol with other preservatives.

    Hi @Abdullah, I have used it at its max percentage recommended by a supplier which is 1%. It is terrible. my son is 3.5 y/o and he absolutely hated the cream preserved with Geogard. It would make him cry. What other preservatives would you recommend? I have not worked with phenoxyethanol before. Is it a preservative itself or more like a booster?

    Geogard ECT has salicylic acid and in EU it is not allowed in leave on products for children of 3 years old and below. Maybe that is irritating your child. 

    If you can write your whole formula we would know what else is in there. geogard ECT is not very effective at pH 6. So maybe it is contaminated.

    Skin pH is 4.7. the skin pH of people with eczema is higher than that. You should aim to bring the pH of his skin down by applying low pH products. Why would you want to have a product with pH 7 and increase the pH of his skin even more? 

    I make leave on products at pH 4-4.5 and they work better than same product at pH 5-5.5.

    Even a cream with pH 2.8 which is very acidic is better than a cream with pH 7.4 according to This Data. 

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4470210/#:~:text=Normal%20pH%20for%20non%2Dneonatal,the%20phenotype%20of%20atopic%20dermatitis.

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