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Preservation of extracts post emulsion.
I am considering making my own extract (ginger) in the hopes of creating functional efficacy. Typically I do NOT formulate with extracts, (but this is a special project) so the concept is a little foreign to me. In order to make it correctly it will help if I understand some of the concepts of the commercial options (not concerning efficacy, but how the product will effect overall preservation of the final emulsified product based on how it was preserved as an extract).
It is my understanding that extracts are typically preserved in one of several manners, maybe a high glycerol base or some other glycol, or a traditional preservative like a “F” releaser.
So where my mind wanders too….is once it is incorporated (let’s use 1% inclusion rate for the sake of this example, and a water phase) into formula, then is it essentially no longer preserved, right? (As in, it is now watered down beyond the original specs, and hence can become ‘bug food’. What ever was preserving it before, no longer has to ability to preserve it now. This means… the different parts have met new friends…and did some comingling and are doing their own thing. They did not stay locked together in the new environment.) Also work under the assumption we will preserve the final formula….with an unrelated preservative method.
So some of the questions…. If I add a preserved extract to a formulation….have I now made a product that will require enhanced preservation (addition of bug food)….vs the same formula without the preserved extract?
Would there be any difference with adding the extract, and the method it was preserved (as far as the end product preservation is concerned). Meaning….a glycerol based preserved extract vs a ‘F’ releaser preserved extract. Does one of these methods stay bound (or any method)….through the process of comingling? In other words, is there an option in making an extract, where that 1% stays preserved even when introduced into an emulsion environment? I would assume…it would become just part of the emulsion, the preservative washed out, and would need to entirely rely on the final products preservation. And add to that…actually making the final product slightly more difficult to preserve, due to the fact that we have included….bug food. Or is there a method to preserve an extract, where it is essentially still preserved when introduced into a typical emulsion?
Excited to hear the responses.
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12 Replies
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If you were to go with a pure ginger CO2 extract, then you wouldn’t introduce bug food but slight additional preservation instead
. Water and glycerol extracts especially of fresh ginger are rich in starches and other bug food and very poor in actives (gingerols, shogaols… all the stuff which makes ginger hot).Apart from that, your reasoning is so far correct.Glycerol/glycol based extracts are usually self-preserving . -
@Pharma how about 20:1 ginger concentrate powder? The suppliers say one kg of this is extracted from 20 kg ginger
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I’m not sure I understand your questionn. Both the extract and the final product presumably require preservation. At ~1% ingredient level, extract preservative would be unlikely to contribute to final product preservation. Suppose one might consider a complexity if addition is maintained distinct/physically independent (e.g. ribbons) in final product but to practical risk assessment, you’d still end up looking primarily at the entire product.
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@Pharma it is water
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What claim would you make, Abdullash and based on what data?
Perhaps Pharma can help - with limited water solubility of what folks speak of as the “active” constituents wonder at effective content in that kg - and expectations of effect at 1% in product. -
@PhilGeis it has around %3 gingerol.
Pharma said pure ginger CO2 extract wouldn’t introduce bug food but slight additional preservation instead. So i asked what does this 20:1 extract powder do for bugs.It feels good on skin and make the skin a bit warm if used in lotion. Especially in cold weather. I was using it at %2.
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You are making this waaaay too complicated. If you prepeare your own extract, you should add a preservative to it if you are not going to use all of it at one time, but store some for future use.
When you add the preserved extract to a formula, you are going to incorporate preservatives and preservative potentiators into the entire formula, so your self-made extract will be preserverd as part of the formula. Whatever preservative you used to preserve your self-made extract will really not contribute to the preservation of the overall formula since it will be in such miscule amounts when diluted in the entire formula.
So, to cut to the chase: You should preserve your self-made extract and then separately preserve your entire formula. It is no more complicated than that. Preservation affects the entire formula, not individual ingredients within the formula independent of the other ingredients.
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Thanks abdullah - at a couple of unhundred ppm aq. solubility - that’s pretty good - and they send a CoA with analysis. Good supplier.
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MarkBroussard said:@Graillotion:You are making this waaaay too complicated. If you prepeare your own extract, you should add a preservative to it if you are not going to use all of it at one time, but store some for future use.
.So, to cut to the chase: You should preserve your self-made extract and then separately preserve your entire formula. It is no more complicated than that. Preservation affects the entire formula, not individual ingredients within the formula independent of the other ingredients.
Yes…I over think every aspect of my cosmetic endeavors….which probably isn’t a bad thing as far as the customer is concerned.
Because I use a less than optimal preservation system…. (5 step hurdle + E9010), I am always looking to make sure when I add bug food, I minimize it’s impact, in anyway possible
I was trying to see if I could introduce bug food in a manner that did not increase the stress on an already less than premium preservation system. Not saying it doesn’t work currently…it does… Just I never want to stretch it to the max…I prefer to be over protected…not…..Just protected.
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It feels good on skin and make the skin a bit warm if used in lotion. Especially in cold weather. I was using it at %2.
Are you buying this in the US? If so …. where?
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I purchase from china or India
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