Preservative Systems and Why you Should Start Formulating this Way

Preserve Your Products The Right Way

It's very important to understand the importance of proper preservation when it comes to DIY skincare formulating. When I first started in the early 2000's, my hard head was wrapped around Rosemary Oil Extract, Grapeseed Extract & Vitamin E as proper "all natural" preservatives, because that's what the "tree huggers" were touting. And I believed them. Those 3 ingredients work well as antioxidants, but they are NOT preservatives.

Now back then, the people in the forums would publicly embarrass, ridicule & humiliate you, then have you publicly drawn & quartered for saying such things. They'd get quite a kick out of it too, gave them all such power. Thankfully today, we've evolved into actual human beings and we can correct one another in positive, helpful ways so we can all learn and grow.

When formulating products that contain water, it's very important that ALL of the ingredients we include are working together to prevent the "ickies" from reaching & attacking the water where they can grow. The preservative system that we include should target Gram +, Yeast, Mold, Fungi and most importantly Gram - bacteria, as this is the one that can truly cause harm to you or the customers who use your products. If some of the "big guys" who use the best of the best preservative systems, have recalls due to contamination, do you think that can happen to any of us? Of course it can.

https://www.drunkelephant.com/voluntaryrecall.html?srsltid=AfmBOopVvHSY8vIWJa44vL5p6LxYeQFSlpbLHXjPy32Mis35AQhrYFkC

When a preservative system fails, you can almost bet it's because of Gram - pathogens. I am not a chemist or biologist but I study.....ALOT. My information NOW, comes from reputable, reliable, factual, truthful, trustworthy sources. I couldn't always say that, especially in the beginning when I just listened to what everyone else was saying, and believed it, without questioning it. They were there before me, surely they are far more knowledgeable and know what they're talking about, right? WRONG!

Most recently I've discovered a gentleman who has multiple degrees. He is not and doesn't like the term, "Cosmetic Chemist". He is a cosmetic formulator, which I can relate to. I have no formal degree but I consider myself to be a cosmetic formulator....because well, that's what I'm doing. I'm formulating cosmetic products. This man is very generous with his knowledge of cosmetic ingredients as it pertains to formulating and I am taking notes. You’re never too old or experienced to learn, something I learned a long time ago. Because of this new (to me) information, I’m changing the way I preserve my products.

In contrast, another gentleman who has a BS in Chemistry (he IS a cosmetic chemist), has a background in hair care and is of the mind of keeping things as simple as possible when formulating......he likes Glycerin and petrolatum from what I've been told. I guess if the customers don't know any better, why bother formulating with anything else? That's NOT how I view things and wouldn't adopt that way of thinking. But, I guess if you rub elbows with all the right people in the industry, they'll listen to you. For me, I will consult people who actually know what they're talking about when it comes to formulating with a wide variety of cosmetic ingredients, people who know how to trouble-shoot and problem solve.

I've also learned to be very, very wary of those who have been formulating for decades under the false impression that everything they share with you, the audience, is their own work, from their own experience/education/knowledge. The mere fact that some people have quite a following doesn't equate into a reputable, reliable, factual source of information. The number of followers you have doesn't make you trustworthy. (No, it's not anyone from Youtube or Patreon). It's one thing if you quote from books or suppliers websites and then reference the quotes. Nothing wrong with that in my mind. Maybe there's a great number of your audience members who don't know of that book or that supplier. You quoting from them can be very helpful. Stating the source afterwards is just the right thing to do. However, when you blatantly plagerize and offer information to the masses as if it's your own, I can no longer trust your words. If you read closely and even better, ask a question of a person like this, you'll see them falter, stammer, stumble......as they do not know how to answer a question based on a quote (that they don't even understand) because it isn't even theirs to begin with.

The importance of doing your own research and finding the right, reliable sources of information is paramount. Heck, even some of the suppliers we purchase ingredients from, get it wrong sometimes. Remember, they're in the money making business, not the reliable source of information business. They exist to sell us ingredients. Also, take into consideration that a good majority of these "online courses" that are offered worldwide, are also in the money making game. They sometimes throw around broad and general terms to sound authoritative & important. In fact, some of these online courses promote preservatives that don't even cover Gram - bacteria. That in itself is enough to have me running in the opposite direction. Most people, companies or schools that are in the "money game", have their own agenda. If they can word things in such a way as to meet their own agenda while still sounding professional, educational and authoratative......they've convinced you, the reader/audience/customer/student of their worth and have satisfied any curiosity or doubts you may have had.

From the very beginning of my formulating journey I'm happy to say, I recognized the role of a chelating agent in water based products, specifially soap (even though it evaporates out). I have hard well water where I live and using a chelator like Tetrasodium EDTA significantly reduced soap scum on the walls of my shower from homemade soap. I've used it from the start. Then I realized that I should be using it in cosmetic products as well because the same principles apply but also, a chelator will help boost the preservative and stabilize the product. Now I have to admit, I wasn't always good at remembering to use a chelator every time, but I could honestly say a good majority of the time, I did.

So, layering your preservative system is the key. Start with a chelator. I've always used Tetrasodium EDTA however I've recently found out that it works best in alkaline conditions (high PH above 7), like soap for instance. Probably why I've always used it in my soaps, from the beginning. A better option that works better in a slightly more acidic environment (lower PH) is Disodium EDTA. Other than the actual preservative itself, a chelator is the 2nd most important ingredient to include as part of your preservation system. They chelate the metals out of the pathogen cell wall so that the preservative can have a straight path to seek and destroy the bacteria. I’ve recently purchased Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate that I’ll be working with in future video tutorials. Remember, mold requires an ion of iron to grow. Chelators bind that metal, making it unavailable. When there’s no iron, there’s no mold. But, that’s just 1 of the nasty’s you’ve squashed.

You’ve heard me talk about penetration enhancers before, I’ve only recently begun using them in lotions/creams. The barrier cream (which btw, is the bomb diggity) includes a couple. But you should also include penetration enhancers as part of your preservative system. This is something new that I’ve learned. See? You CAN teach an old dog new tricks, if the dog is willing.

2 penetration enhancers that you should include in your preservative system are Pentylene Glycol and Propanediol 1,3. Where bacteria usually is impossible to pass through or enter, these 2 ingredients help the preservative go deeper to crush, kill & destroy.

The next piece of the puzzle is the PH. Bacteria love a PH of around 5-8. We, as formulators try to work within the lower end of that, aiming for around 5-6. Did you know that pathogens aren’t comfortable in a PH of 4.8? If ingredients allow, this is the PH we should be aiming for to make life difficult for those nasty buggars. While this won’t STOP them from working overtime to do their job, it will slow them down from reproducing.

So now you’re left with the preservative itself. There are so many choices out there but you need one that will kill Gram – bacteria. Don’t be fooled by the “broad spectrum” phrase. I know I use that phrase all the time, but are they really? I know Germall Plus is and does act against Gram -. Some preservatives in our industry include Euxyl pe 9010, Geogard ultra, Germaben II, Germall plus, Jeecide CAP-7, Leucidal, Optiphen plus, Phenonip, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate……just for starters. Keep in mind some of these contain parabens and formaldehyde releasers. If you are at all concerned about this, Phenoxyethanol is the best choice for a broad spectrum preservative. Lotioncrafter sells it under PE 9010 https://shorturl.at/NCyFX  

While Phenoxyethanol does a good job on Gram – and a fair job on Gram +, it’s not so great on yeast and mold so you would need to compensate for that by using something like Optiphen Plus (INCI: Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl Glycol (and) Sorbic Acid). Note the Plus, which contains an organic acid. This isn’t the regular Optiphen. Keep the PH below 5.5 (4.8 optimally) because the organic acids efficacy just isn’t there beyond that PH range. Some organic acids include benzoic acid, sorbic acid, dehydroacetic acid, caprylhydroxamic acid and their derived salts. Keep that in mind when looking at the INCI of your preservatives. If they include an organic acid, probably a good idea to keep the PH down.

My new preservative system would look something like this:

2% Propanediol + 1% Pentylene Glycol + 1% Phenoxyethanol + .5% Optiphen Plus

Other things to consider when it comes to preservation are the actual ingredients you use. Clays, milks, fruits, herbal teas…..all can have an impact on how well your preservation system holds up. These are all breeding grounds for microbial growth. It’s just sitting there waiting to happen.

Proper preservation to avoid contamination should always start with GMP (good manufacturing practices)

I hope you find this information helpful and useful in your formulating journey.

I know I sure did!