Potassium Sorbate or P-Anisic Acid?

Formulating

Potassium Sorbate or P-Anisic Acid?

Posted by August on September 6, 2023 at 1:53 am

In order to prevent mold due to high humidity and temperature in my region, I need advice if any of these water-soluble preservatives (potassium sorbate or p-anisic acid) can be used with sambucus nigra extract for natural lip anhydrous formulation?

Sambucus nigra extract (3%) + potassium sorbate (0.02%) + gluconolactone (1%)

or

Sambucus nigra extract (3%) + p-anisic acid (0.05%) + glyceryl caprylate (0.3%)

Not too sure which works better - potassium sorbate or p-anisic acid?
Can these water-soluble preservatives be added at oil phase? Is p-anisic
acid lip safe?

Thanks!

August replied 2 weeks, 2 days ago 3 Members · 10 Replies
10 Replies

philgeis

Member
September 6, 2023 at 5:50 am

what is pH? Of the options, cetainly Sorbate but there may be better options.
- philgeis
  
  Member
  September 6, 2023 at 6:23 am
  
  Sorry - missed “anhydrous” - so problematic likely neither. You’ll need to rovide the formula
August

Member
September 6, 2023 at 7:17 am

Hi Phil,

Here’s the formula:

shea butter - 25%
macadamia oil - 15%
candelilla wax - 15%
cupuacu butter - 10%
moringa seed oil - 10%
castor oil - 10%
jojoba oil - 10%
meadowfoam oil - 5%
Vit E (T70) - 0.01%

Hope the product can maintain a shelf life of 12 months. Thanks!
philgeis

Member
September 6, 2023 at 8:24 am

Difficult question. Anisic isn’t much in any case, and sorbate/sorbic is so flakey in terms of effective pH at exposure to required water/moisture, acid/salt partitioning and its many instability factors that its use is just a hopeful guess (as it often is). This is another case of “clean beauty” BS screwing up consumer protection as your best choice would be parabens.

Wonder if your risk here is oxidation rather than contamination. Do you have the opportunity to run some consumer use testing?
- August
  
  Member
  September 6, 2023 at 10:41 pm
  
  Hi Phil, my risk will be oxidation and mold. No consumer testing yet.
  
  Thanks!
  - philgeis
    
    Member
    September 7, 2023 at 5:56 am
    
    Habve you seen mold on product?
    - August
      
      Member
      September 7, 2023 at 6:32 am
      
      I have seen mold on another anhydrous formula, after placing the sample for 3-4 months at room temperature around 30ºC with humidity almost 80%.
      - philgeis
        
        Member
        September 7, 2023 at 6:42 am
        
        Start with reviewing similars products on the market.
gordof

Member
September 7, 2023 at 3:37 am

pure oil formulations don’t need a Conservation System it will be rather difficult to disolv although.

I would say use some Tocopherol ( not the Acetate ) to get rid of the Oxidation processes and you should be good the 12-month course depend a lot on the oil Quality and the Packaging material and the exclusion of air / Oxygen in your product airless dispensers are a very good way to go with this kind of formulations.
August

Member
September 7, 2023 at 8:16 am

Noted, thanks Gordof and Phil!