Vol. 17 | Vol. 17 (2) – March / April 2022 | Preservatives

Cosmetic preservation – It all starts with the factory

by cyb2025 16 March 2022

A. J. Gilchrist 16 March 2022

cosmetics

GMP

Hygienic

microorganisms

Preservatives

ALASTAIR J. GILCHRIST
Gilchrist Technical Services, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom

ABSTRACT

Consumers are very aware and many are concerned about the materials used to manufacture cosmetic products. Preservatives often attract attention and rightly so because they are reactive materials which perform an essential role protecting products from many challenges throughout their entire lifecycle. There is one challenge that preservative systems should not have to deal with: that is the risk of microbiological contamination from raw materials, components or during production.
In this article we discuss the basic requirements for manufacturing cosmetic products which ensure that the added preservatives are not depleted during the production process and levels of preservatives are optimised to protect the products without exposing the consumers to higher than necessary levels of these materials to compensate for unsatisfactory production practices.

The Challenge – many cosmetic products are susceptible to microbiological contamination; this can be due to their water content for example: body washes, shampoos, conditioners, creams etc. or other products such as: solid bar products and make-up which is repeatedly challenged during normal use.

cyb2025

Naturally based citrate polyesters for hair conditioning

Latest issue

March /April 2026

View Issue

Content from magazine

“Contents from Magazine” offers curated articles and insights from the personal and home care industry, focusing on ingredients, innovative technologies, sustainability, and regulatory developments.

View all content