[Valentyna]

Im also very interested in this topic. I used behenyl alcohol in my balm. What happened a few months after use and temperature changes is that some behenyl alcohol started going back to white pallets the original state. Have you seen it happen to your balm? Is there a way to prevent it?

[Valentyna]

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 

[Valentyna]

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]

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]

Padmavathi said:

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