Big Book of Preservatives Part One Fundamentals and Formulating

Beyond E-wax, part two 1
Susan Barclay Nichols
ADVENTURES IN
COSMETIC
C HEMISTRY
THE BIG BOOK

OF
P R E S E RVAT I V E S
PART ONE:
FUNDAMENTALS
&
FORMUL ATING
I S S U E 2 , 2 0 21
INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................5
GENERAL NOTES ON MAKING PRODUCTS .....................................................6
QUICK NOTE ON ELECTRICAL CHARGES .................................................................8

MEASURING, TESTING, and adjusting PH .................................................................9
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT PRESERVATIVES BEFORE YOU START! ..................12
WHICH CONTAMINANTS CAN GET INTO MY FORMULAS? ...................................16

HOW TO USE PRESERVATIVES? ..............................................................................17
THINGS WE FIND IN PRESERVATIVES! ...........................................................20
BENZYL ALCOHOL .................................................................................................20

DEHYDROACETIC ACID ..........................................................................................20
ETHYLHEXYL GLYCERIN ..........................................................................................20
IMIDIAZOLIDINYL AND DIAZOLIDINYL UREA.........................................................22
IODOPROPYNYL BUTYLCARBAMATE (IPBC) ............................................................23
ORGANIC ACIDS & SODIUM BENZOATE ...............................................................23
PARABENS .............................................................................................................25
PHENOXYETHANOL ...............................................................................................27
PRESERVATIVES & PACKAGING ....................................................................28
DISC CAP ...............................................................................................................29

PUMP BOTTLE ........................................................................................................29
SPRAY OR MISTER CAP ..........................................................................................30
TURRET CAP ...........................................................................................................30
MALIBU OR TOTTLE BOTTLES ..................................................................................31
AIRLESS PUMPS ......................................................................................................31
FOAMER BOTTLES ..................................................................................................32
JARS! .....................................................................................................................33
CLEANING & RECYCLING PACKAGING .................................................................33
AN IMPORTANT ASIDE ON HEAD SPACE IN PACKAGING .....................................34
HURDLE TECHNOLOGY & GOOD MANUFACTURING PROCESSES ..................35
GOOD MANUFACTURING PROCESSES..................................................................35

TYPES OF WATER? .................................................................................................36
PACKAGING ..........................................................................................................36
WATER ACTIVITY ....................................................................................................36

ADDITIONS TO SUPPORT THE PRESERVATIVE SYSTEM, OTHER ANTI-MICROBIAL
INGREDIENTS ........................................................................................................37
pH .........................................................................................................................37
TYPE OF EMULSION...............................................................................................38
HOW CAN COMPANIES MAKE “SELF-PRESERVING” OR PRESERVATIVE-FREE
PRODUCTS THAT CONTAIN WATER?..............................................................39
why AND WHERE TO HAVE YOUR PRODUCTS PRESERVATIVE CHALLENGE
TESTED?.........................................................................................................41
PRESERVATIVE COMPARISON CHART ...........................................................44
HOW TO CHOOSE A PRESERVATIVE ..............................................................46
CHECKLIST FOR CHOOSING A PRESERVATIVE .......................................................46

LINKS FROM HERE TO THE END OF THE E-ZINE: CHOOSING THE
PRESERVATIVE FOR A FOAMING FACIAL CLEANSER ......................................48
ENERGIZING PEPPERMINT & GREEN TEA FOAMING FACIAL CLEANSER FOR DRY TO
NORMAL SKIN (FORMULA #1) ..............................................................................48
ENERGIZING FACIAL CLEANSER PRESERVATIVE REVIEW CHART ............................50
NORMAL SKIN (FORMULA WITH GERMALL PLUS LIQUID AND GERMABEN II) ......52
NORMAL SKIN (FORMULA WITH PHENONIP)........................................................53
COULD YOU MAKE THIS A NATURALLY COMPLIANT PRODUCT? ............................54
NATURALLY COMPLIANT PRESERVATIVE COMPARISON CHART .............................55
CHOOSING THE PRESERVATIVE FOR A BASIC HAIR CONDITIONER FORMULA .
58
CREATING A BASIC HAIR CONDITIONER WITH COCONUT OIL WITH INCROQUAT

BTMS-50 (FORMULA) .............................................................................................58
PRESERVATIVE COMPARISON CHART FOR CATIONIC EMULSIONS - LOTIONS &
CONDITIONERS.....................................................................................................59
BTMS-50 (FORMULA with GERMABEN II, GERMALL PLUS LIQUID, liquipar optima) ..61

BTMS-50 (FORMULA with euxyl pe 9010) ................................................................63
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................66
MY BLOG, POINT OF INTEREST ..............................................................................66

THANK YOU TO MY AMAZING SUBSCRIBERS........................................................66
HOW TO CONTACT ME .........................................................................................66
CONTAMINATION HORROR AT THE END…YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! .........67
Written by Susan Barclay Nichols, better known as SwiftCraftyMonkey, blogger and

formulator for the blog Point of Interest (http://swiftcraftymonkey.blog).
© 2021 by Susan Barclay Nichols. All rights reserved. This e-zine or any portion thereof may
not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the author, except
as permitted by Canadian copyright law.
The products you make from formulas contained in this e-zine can be used by you for
personal or commercial purposes, but please don’t copy and paste the text, share this entire
e-zine on sites like Scribd, forward to your friends who aren’t subscribers to the blog, or
claim them as your own by posting them on your blog, social media channel, or web site.
Have fun formulating!
INTRODUCTION
I know preservatives aren’t super sexy ingredients that catch
our eye, ones that make us stop as we’re scrolling through
Instagram to take another peek - a bottle of Germall Plus on
a countertop will rarely get many “likes” on social media -
but to create awesome products, we need to use the right
preservative in the right product with the right type of
ingredients and packaging.
In this e-book and the next, we’ll be meeting a variety of

preservatives - 39 of them at last count, but that number is
always growing - that’ll keep our fabulous products safe by
preventing or limiting contamination and extending the shelf
life dramatically.
We’ll meet all kinds of preservatives - naturally compliant ones, parabens, formaldehyde
releasers, broad spectrum and not - and by the end, you’ll have a greater understanding of
why and how we use preservatives in our products and which ones will protect the speci c
product you’re making. Let’s meet some preservatives!
You may have encountered some of these sections or concepts before in other e-books or on the blog. I’m
sharing them here as I wanted to make this e-book as complete as possible as I’m considering it a reference
guide, and each have been reviewed and updated with the latest information I’ve read and studied as of
February 2021. fi
GENERAL NOTES ON MAKING

PRODUCTS
If this is your rst time making products, woo hoo! I admit I’m a bit jealous of the exciting
journey that lies ahead for you. If you’ve made products before, this is probably old hat, so
feel free to jump ahead!
How to read a formula? Convert the % to the word grams and you’ll be making a 100 gram
batch of something. If you want more than 100 grams (3.3 ounces) of something, you’ll
want to multiply everything by 2 for 200 grams, 3 for 300 grams, and so on.
Why do we use weighted measurements? We need to measure every formula you want to
make by weight as it’s more accurate. If I tell you to use 1 tablespoon of beeswax, is that
before or after it’s melted? Do you shave the beeswax o or does it come in pastille form?
When we make things by weight, we don’t worry about those things! Besides, when we
measure everything on the scale into the container, we only have one or two things to clean
instead of all those tiny spoons and measuring cups! Invest in a good digital scale – you
should get one for about $30 or so – and you’ll be so happy with your products.
Why do you use grams? Because I’m Canadian and that’s the way we do things up here in
metric system land. Besides, if something’s in ounces, how do you know if those are volume
or weighted ounces? A gram is always a measurement of weight so it’s easier.
If you need a quick conversion, one weighed ounce is about 30 grams. You may see it listed as
28.something or other, but it’s just as easy to think of 1 ounce = 30 grams.
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What if I want to use ounces? You can, but the math gets tricky. If you try doing the
“convert the % to ounces” thing, you end up with 100 ounces, and that’s a lot of stu . You
could convert % to ounces, then multiply by 0.1 to get 10 ounces, but that’s still a lot. It’s
just so much easier to use grams.
How much should I make of a product the rst time? Make no more than 300 grams of
something. That way you don’t have a lot of something hanging around the house if you
hate it or if the formula fails. (I generally make 100 grams, but you need a little scale that
measures to 0.1 or even 0.01 grams for that!)
How should I mix the formulas? If I don’t tell you, then mix with either a stick blender or
a hand mixer with the beater blades. If I do tell you, please do it that way as it’s important
to make the product work. If you’re working with foamy or lathery things, like body washes
or face cleansers, you’ll want to use a large fork and mix it carefully.
Why are you using distilled water? Using distilled water or reverse osmosis water in
these formulas is essential. Even boiled water can contain minerals that can cause or speed
up contamination or rancidity. Invest $2 for four litres (one gallon) of distilled water and
save yourself the heartache of seeing a great product go bad!
I’m assuming you have passing familiarity with ingredients for bath & body products. If you nd
something unfamiliar, please visit my blog at http://swiftcraftymonkey.blog and look at the sections or do
a search. I’ve done my best here to give you a brief overview of various ingredients, but if I went into as
much detail as I do on the blog, this little e-zine would run 40 pages for one formula alone!
Can I use di erent oils than you use? De nitely! In any of my formulas for lotions, you
can exchange any oil for any oil, any butter for any butter, any oil for any butter, or any
butter for any oil and the formula will work. You may alter the viscosity if you use olive oil
instead of cocoa butter and you may alter the skin feel if you exchange a greasy oil for a dry
one, but the emulsion will still turn out just ne.
Can I make alterations in the water phase? In general, I say you can alter the water phase
of a product by adding a little aloe vera or hydrosol in place of distilled water, but you have
to check to see which emulsi ers or other ingredients can mix with things like electrolytes
(salts) or alcohol, for instance. And remember we have to think about the charge – anionic,
cationic, or non-ionic – when adding things lotions, so it’s probably best you don’t alter the
water phase much the rst time or two you make something. Having said this, if you don’t
have something like aloe vera or hydrolyzed protein, you can always leave it out and add
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that percentage back in the distilled water amount. For instance, if you remove 10% aloe
vera, add 10% distilled water so the formula always totals 100%.
How do I use 100x aloe vera concentrated powder? We can’t just add this concentrated
powder to a product, we need to reconstitute it rst. Measure 1 gram aloe vera 100x powder
into a bottle, then add 98.5 grams distilled water with 0.5 grams Germall Plus liquid. Shake
well until mixed. You might need to warm the water slightly if it’s cold.
If you have 200x aloe vera concentrated powder, you’d measure 1 gram aloe vera 200x
powder into a bottle, then add 1 gram Germall Plus liquid and 198 grams of distilled water.
Shake well until mixed. You might need to warm the water slightly if it’s cold.
What’s the INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients)? The INCI is

the name you’ll see in brackets for an ingredient at our suppliers’ shops, in data sheets or
bulletins from manufacturers or distributors, in trade magazines and formulas, and
ingredient lists. For oils, butters, and essential oils, it’ll be the botanical name with the
common name in brackets. Butyrospermum parkii (shea butter) fruit is shea butter. For
other ingredients, this will be the chemical name of the ingredient. For instance, the INCI
for Ritamulse SCG is (Glyceryl stearate (and) cetearyl alcohol (and) sodium stearoyl
lactylate). The (and) means that you’ll also nd that compound in the ingredient.
In Canada, we use the 11th edition of the INCI name book, while the US uses the 2nd
edition from the 70s.
When making any of my formulas, please follow the process carefully. I’ve written
these instructions to work with the formula, and altering them can result in a failed product.
If the formula calls for an immersion or stick blender, it requires shear-type mixing, and
using a hand mixer or mixing by hand with a whisk is no shear type mixing, and the lotion
can fail. I suggest reading the formula and the process three times before making it so you
can get a good idea about everything involved instead of having something sneak up on you
while you’re mid-formulation, like needing a hand mixer or having to test the temperature
with a thermometer.
QUICK NOTE ON ELECTRICAL

CHARGES
Anionic, cationic, and non-ionic refer to the electrical
charge on the ingredient in question.
Non-ionic means it has a neutral charge.

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Anionic means it has a negative charge.
Cationic means it has a positive charge.
Our hair and skin are negatively charged or anionic. Positively charged or cationic
ingredients will adsorb or form a ne layer on your hair or skin in a process called
substantivity. This is how hair conditioners work, they form this lm to make the cuticle
lay atter, which reduces tangling, increases shine, increases softness, and reduces static.
Why should we care about the charge? We usually don’t want to mix something anionic
with something cationic, as you’ll see, but we can mix either with non-ionic ingredients.
MEASURIN G, TESTIN G, AND ADJUSTIN G PH
There are a few ways to test pH. The rst is by using pH testing strips. You can nd them as
long strips of brown-ish, yellow-ish paper that give you a general idea of the pH, but they’re
wildly inaccurate. At best, they o er you a general pH range, but you have no idea if it’s at
the low end of pH 3, which would be far too low, on par with using AHAs or salicylic acid in
a product, or the high end of pH 3, which is still low, but not face burning low.
You can nd plastic strips that have two, three, or four

indicators, which are a much better choice, and they’ll
register pH in 0.5 increments. I nd it hard to work
with them as it’s di cult to identify the minute colour
di erences between each pH level, but they’re better
than the brown ones.
To test the pH using strips, remove a bit of the liquid -

say 2 to 3 grams - into a separate container, then dip the
strip into the liquid. Leave it for up to ve seconds,
remove, wipe o any excess, then compare to the colour
chart.
I prefer to use a pH meter. You can spend $20 or you can spend $300 for that really fancy
one I got from Amazon or my local hydroponics store (where you might nd some seriously
awesome beakers and such!)
I have a review of a number of di erent kinds of meters on my blog: Please click here to see the reviews.
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If you’re using a meter, you want to make a dilute solution of the product as some meters
can’t read through opaque products, like lotions, or they’re a ected by cationic or positively
charged products, like conditioners.
We’ll make a 10% solution of the product and it must cover

the bulb of the pH meter, so the size you have to make
might vary. You could use 1 gram of product in 9 grams of
distilled water, 2 grams of product in 20 grams distilled
water, 5 grams of product in 45 grams of distilled water, or
10 grams in 90 grams of distilled water. (Try not to
generate too many bubbles for foamy things.)
Place the meter in the solution, swish it around to remove

any bubbles, and let it sit until it reaches its nal pH reading, which can take up to 30
seconds or so.
If you’re happy with the pH, rejoice!
If not, you can adjust the pH by adding citric acid to the formula at 0.1% at a time. Add
0.1%, mix well, then test again. Don’t get impatient and add 0.5% because it's taking so
long for the pH to alter as you could be right at the point where it’ll drop quite a lot.
You can extrapolate how much it took to alter the pH of the solution with how much it’ll
take to alter the pH of the product. Whatever you used with the diluted solution, that’s how
much you should add to the your product. When you’re done, test it again with a dilute
solution or a testing strip to make sure you’re at the pH you want.
To decrease the pH or make it more acidic, make up a solution of 50% citric acid and
50% distilled water. Add it to the product at 0.1% (=0.05% citric acid) at a time, mix,
measure, and repeat, if necessary. Keep good notes so you have a sense of what you did last
time, but don’t rely on that as every batch of product can be slightly di erent, even when
you use the same ingredients.
To increase the pH or make it more alkaline, make up a solution of 18% sodium

hydroxide and 82% distilled water. Weigh the distilled water into a plastic container, then
add the sodium hydroxide. Mix, let it warm up - it will get very hot - then when it’s cooled
down, package it in a plastic bottle with a warning and information on what’s in the bottle.
Add it your product at 0.05% to 0.1% at a time. Mix, measure, repeat, if necessary. Again,
keep good notes.
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You can also alter the pH by adding triethanolamine at 0.1% at a time. It’s not as alkaline as
lye, so you’ll need to use more TEA than you would dilute lye.
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT

P R E S E RVAT I V E S B E F O R E YO U S TA R T !
What’s a preservative? This is an ingredient we add to the formula to prevent or kill any
microbes, like bacteria, yeast, and mold. It can come as one ingredient or a combination of
ingredients that protect against each of these microbes. They can have an electrical charge -
non-ionic (neutral), anionic (negative), or cationic (positive) - which is important when
choosing the right preservative for your product. They can be found in liquid or powder
form.
Why do you care about the electrical charge? Generally, something negative can’t be mixed with something
positive without some kind of incompatibility. If they can be combined, there’ll be some rules about doing
this, including adding other ingredients or adding them in a special order.
What’s a broad spectrum preservative? This is one deals with all the microbes that could
contaminate our products, like bacteria, yeast, and mold. We have many from which to
choose - Germaben II, Germall Plus, Phenonip, Jeecide® CAP-2, Jeecide® CAP-5, and so on.
If the one you’ve chosen isn’t broad spectrum, you’ll have to add an ingredient to
compensate for the de ciencies of the other ones. If you have a great bacteria killer, you’ll
have to add something to combat yeast and mold. If you have a great fungicide, you’ll have
to add a great bactericide.
As an aside, it really is so much easier to use an all-in-one, but you can combine
preservatives to create something great. If you do this, please get your products challenge
tested before selling.
When do I want to use a preservative? Include a preservative when your product contains
water or other water soluble ingredients, like glycerin, hydrosols, oral waters, proteins,
botanical extracts, or when the product will be exposed to water, like a scrub in a shower.
The short answer is if your product contains water or will be exposed to water. This includes anhydrous
products that you’ll take into the shower, like oil based scrubs, emulsi ed scrubs, powdered cleansers, and
so on.
Why do I want to use a preservative? Because you don’t want all kinds of bacteria, yeast,
and mold in your products with all the potential badness that can ensure from slathering
those things on your skin and hair. Preservatives kill the baddies or prevent their growth,
making your product smell and look lovely for a long time.
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What’s the shelf life on my lotion if I don’t want to use a preservative? A day, maybe
two, maybe three if you keep it in the fridge. Microbes can start growing in your products
almost immediately during creation as we use di erent utensils and containers, as we heat
and cool, as we transfer to bottles - they’re always around us, and they will be in your
products because very few people have “clean” rooms in which to formulate.
What isn’t a preservative? Anti-oxidants, like Vitamin E, T-50 mixed tocopherols,

rosemary oleo resin or essential oil, and grapefruit seed extract (GSE) are not preservatives.
They work as anti-oxidants or ingredients that slow down the rancidity of oils, butters, and
other oil soluble things. They will not protect your product against microbes. They’re still
awesome, and I encourage you to use 0.05% to 0.1% T-50 mixed tocopherols when you’re
using oils in a formula, but they aren’t preservatives.
Learn more about the processes of rancidity and how anti-oxidants work by clicking this link to see that
section of the blog.
Essential oils aren’t preservatives either. I know you can nd some that claim to be anti-
microbial, that combat yeast or mold, but there’s no scienti c data to support using them as
preservatives for any products, like lotions, shampoos, conditioners, bubble baths, facial
cleansers, or anything else. I’ve had people approach me saying they could prove their
combination worked, but I’ve never received any evidence from them in the 12 years I’ve
been writing the blog, and you’d think if there were great support to use them, someone
would be handing out the studies all over the place and crowing about the results, but sadly
no, there’s been nothing.
Can I use a “natural” preservative in my product? There’s no truly natural preservative

we can pluck from a tree and use, but we can nd some “naturally compliant” or those
preservatives that are certi ed to be natural or organic by various agencies, like ECOCERT,
COSMOS, NaTrue, NPA, or the Soil Association. Any preservatives falling into this category
- and there are so many, as you’ll see in this e-book and part two - will require a process
called hurdle technology that has some very strict guidelines on how to keep your products
safe, like following good manufacturing process, testing and adjusting the pH, using airless
containers, and reducing water activity along with a few others. (We’ll get to those concepts
in this e-book shortly. Click here to jump to that section.)
How do preservatives work? They work by either killing the microbes or preventing their
growth. They create a hostile environment for bacteria, yeast, and mold by making the
product more acidic, reducing water activity, disrupting the cell walls or growth cycle, or
generally making the product inhospitable for wee beasties.
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If they kill bacteria, they’re a bactericide. If they prevent their growth, they’re a
bacteriostatic. If they kill fungus, they’re a fungicide. A broad spectrum preservative is a
bactericide and fungicide, with some o ering bacteriostatic properties.
What does it mean to be a formaldehyde releaser or donor? Preservatives come in two

main groups – the formaldehyde donors and the non-formaldehyde donors.
Formaldehyde donors include DMDM hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea, imidiazolidinyl urea, and
quaternium 15. Non-formaldehyde donors include everything else like phenoxyethanol,
parabens, and iodopropynyl butylcarbamate, to name a few. (I’ve listed this for each
preservative in this e-book and the next when relevant.)
The formaldehyde donors are more water soluble than oil soluble, and work by
decomposing slowly over the life span of our products to provide preserving powers. In
general, the formaldehyde release increases with the pH of the product, as well as the
temperature and length of time the product has been stored.
Formaldehyde is a naturally occurring ingredient in fruits and vegetables, like apples and
pears.
Want to know more about the safety and regulations around formaldehyde donors? Then check out the
Cosmetics Ingredient Review information here.
What’s a paraben? These are a type of preservatives called para-hydroxybenzoic acids.

There are ve parabens we nd in cosmetic products – methylparaben, ethylparaben,
propylparaben, butylparaben, and benzylparaben – and two isomers – isopropylparaben and
isobutylparaben – and the position of the functional group determines the anti-microbial
activity and solubility. The solubility in water decreases and the preserving activity increases
as the chain length of the paraben increases. So methylparaben is very water soluble but not
so great a preservative, and butylparaben is more oil soluble and a fantastic preservative.
They tend to be more about the fungus ghting powers than the bacterial ghting powers
and they are more e ective against Gram positive bacteria than Gram negative bacteria.
Parabens exist in nature, found in Japanese honeysuckle and blueberries, but neither of
these are suitable replacements for synthetic parabens found in our preservatives. Check out
this link by Anthony Dweck on naturally occurring parabens for more information!
I know there’s a lot of misinformation about parabens out there, so I’ll refer you to to these
two articles to learn more about the awed study that started these concerns. Dr Joe
Schwarcz goes into a lot of detail about parabens in this article from McGill’s O ce of
Science & Society – Paraben phobia is unjusti ed. American Council on Science and Health
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has more information – Fear Of Parabens Compromises Safety Of Certain Cosmetic

Products
Why do I care about the pH? Each preservative has a range in which they work and
outside of that range, they will fail and your product is now unprotected. For some, you’ll
have to lower or raise the pH of your product; for others, you might need to create a bu er
to keep the pH in the right range, like Geogard® Ultra/NeoDefend.
Are the preservatives found in my ingredients enough to preserve the entire product?
No. You might buy something like aloe vera extract and notice it contains a preservative, but
that’s only enough to preserve the aloe vera, and often only enough to keep it fresh until the
bottle is opened. We also have no idea how much preservative is in the product. Plus, a lot
of these preservatives tend to be organic acids, like sodium benzoate or sorbic acid, which
require a very limited pH range to work properly.
What is a “hard to preserve” formula? These will be ones that have loads of botanical
ingredients - hydrosols, oral waters, distillates, powdered or liquid extracts - or clay. (See
below for clay and parabens…)
These formulas aren’t suitable for naturally compliant or non-traditional preservatives as

they require something stronger, like Germaben II, Germall Plus, or Optiphen, to name a
few. Even with these more potent preservatives, you’ll want to keep in mind the principles
of hurdle technology, like using airless containers, to keep the product safer for longer.
As a note, I don’t recommend making your own infused oils, brewing teas, or creating
glycerites to add to formulas that contain water as this is a contamination party waiting to
happen! You can’t strain out all the botanical matter, the rinds, leaves, buds, sticks, twigs,
pine cones, and such, which will attract microbes pretty quickly. As well, you don’t know
what compounds and phytochemicals made it into the nal product, so (a) do you know
what’s really in there? and (b) if you wanted to sell this product, you’d need to have that
infusion, tea, or glycerite analyzed so you know what’s in there and can provide purchasers
with that information or safety data sheet.
Can some things inactivate or decrease the e cacy of some preservatives? Yes, and
I’ve included this information in the write-ups for each one.
Parabens are sensitive to various cellulose derivatives, including methylcellulose; gelatin;

and polyvinylpyrrolidine (PVP). They can be inactivated by non-ionic ingredients, including
some of the fatty alcohols (like cetearyl alcohol), fatty acids, esters, and polysorbates, when
they’re used as emulsi ers (using the HLB system). The paraben based preservatives
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include Phenonip, Liquipar, and Germaben II, and the study to which I’m referring tested
Phenonip at 0.3% in various non-ionic ingredients. (Liquipar PE and Germaben II aren’t
a ected by non-ionic ingredients.) Polysorbate 80 is the worst culprit, and at 2.5% in an
emulsion it completely inactivated Phenonip! Polysorbate 20 partially deactivated it at 2.5%
and 5.0%. Cetearyl alcohol and glyceryl stearate had no e ect at 2.5% and 5.0%.
Ceteareth-20 caused no problems at 2.5% but completely deactivated Phenonip at 5.0%.
Parabens are also inactivated by inorganic pigments, like ultramarines, iron oxides,
chromiums, and manganese pigments, as well as titanium dioxide and talc. The worst
culprit is the ultramarine blue, followed by talc, titanium dioxide, red iron oxide, and yellow
iron oxide. Kaolin clay and silica can have a huge impact on your paraben e ectiveness as
well, but they’re lower down the list.
How can we overcome these problems? Adding a chelating ingredient, like EDTA or sodium
phytate at 0.2% to help with chelating the metals or use another preservative when you’re
working with these ingredients. And consider your pH – high levels of the ultramarines or
clay can take your product from acidic to neutral or alkaline, so test and adjust the pH to 8
or lower.
Phenoxyethanol sees reduced e cacy with methylcellulose, sodium carboxymethylcellulose,

and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC).
What does it mean if a preservative isn’t compatible with ethoxylated surfactants?

Some of the preservatives in these two e-books, like the Euxyl® line, aren’t compatible with
ingredients that have gone through a process called ethoxylation, when ethylene oxide is
added to a fatty acid or fatty alcohol, creating non-ionic and anionic surfactants, including
water soluble oils (esters), esters, foamy surfactants like sodium laureth sulfate (SLeS).
Look for ingredients with PEG in the name, like PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil or PEG-100
stearate.
Why? “…it is yet not recommended for formulations containing comparatively high
amounts of ethoxylated surfactants because these surfactants are able to neutralise the
boosting activity of ethylhexylglycerin.” (Reference: A New Concept to Boost the
Preservative E cacy of Phenoxyethanol)
WHIC H CONTAMINANTS C AN GET INTO MY

FORMULAS?
Gram positive bacteria: These are bacteria that turn dark blue or purple when Gram
stained in the lab. They lack the outer membrane of the gram negative bacteria. This family
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includes staphylococcus, enterococcus, listeria, and

clostridium. Most of the bacteria that cause problems in
humans are gram positive. (Want to know more? Click
here!)
Gram negative bacteria: These are bacteria that turn red

or pink when Gram stained in the lab. They have the outer
membrane the gram positive bacteria lack. This family
includes E. coli, salmonella, enterobacteria, pseudomonas,
helicobacter pylori, and gonorrhoea.
Fungus: Yes, there just might be a fungus among us! Fungi

like penicillium and microsporium can be found in
contaminated products, as well as yeast in the form of
Candida albicans, which can cause yeast infections and thrush. And mold, which isn’t
always bad if you like a little blue cheese now and again, can cause respiratory problems and
allergic reactions.
CAUTION! If you want to see a photo of what can happen to an unpreserved lotion over the
course of a few weeks during the summer in a hot workshop, click this link to see the
contamination at the end of the e-book. I must warn, you it is not for the faint hearted. It is
an abomination, a beautiful lotion turned bad by microbes that feasted upon it without a
care for how those of us who loved would turn in horror upon seeing it. If you still want to
see the photo, click here and prepare to be terri ed beyond the telling of it!
H O W T O U S E P R E S E RVAT I V E S ?
How much preservative should I use? All preservatives have suggested usage rates from
the manufacturer and your supplier should provide that on the page where you bought it.
For Germall Plus liquid we can use 0.1% to 0.5%, and I tend to lean more towards 0.5% as I
tend to use loads of hard-to-preserve ingredients, like botanical extracts.
When should we add the preservative to our product? Each preservative will have its
own recommended usage, so check before using. In general, you’ll see preservatives added
added at a variety of times - the heated water phase, heated oil phase, after an emulsion has
formed, after a gel has formed, after the surfactants are added, and in the cool down phase -
which will depend on the heat tolerance and solubility.
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If the preservative is heat tolerant, you can add it to a heated

phase. If it isn’t, check the temperature and add it at the
appropriate time, usually in the cool down phase of a emulsion,
like 40˚C (104˚F) to 45˚C (113˚F). It’s generally ne to add the
preservative at a temperature lower than its heat tolerance:
Germall Plus liquid can be added at 60˚C (140˚F), but I generally
use it in the cool down phase of a lotion at 40˚C to 45˚C as it’s
just easier to have three phases instead of an extra one for just
that preservative.
If the preservative is oil soluble, it’s generally added to the oil

phase. If the preservative is water soluble, it’s generally added to
the water phase. If it’s heat tolerant, it could go in either heated phase. If it’s not, it can go
into the cool down phase.
Some will note to add it after the emulsion - in general, this means you’ve removed the
phases from the heat, have created the emulsion by pouring one thing into another, and
you’re mixing. This is generally because the preservative can tolerate the heat, but not for an
extended period of time.
You may see instructions like adding the preservative after the gel has formed or after the
surfactants are added or mixed to improve clarity or after the surfactants have been mixed to
avoid a loss of viscosity.
How should we add the preservative? Mixing is very important as we want the
preservative to protect every single milligram of that product, so always add preservatives
with agitation, meaning mixing with a hand mixer, immersion blender, stick blender,
homogenizer, overhead mixer, or a mixer that isn’t powered by hand. The thicker the
formula, the more important this becomes as it’s hard to whisk a thick preservative into an
even thicker body butter.
I know it’s tempting when the product has cooled to use a hand whisk or spatula to mix the product
because you really don’t want to get the mixer all messy again for such a quick process, but it’s so essential
to ensure your product is properly preserved.
Measure the preservative directly into the product, not into a small shot glass or cup or
boat, as we don’t want to lose any of it. You may need to add the preservative to something
else, like a solvent, and in that case, you’d use a separate container to measure, then mix.
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What does it mean to “mix with solvent before adding”? If you see this with a
preservative, it generally means it needs to be dissolved before adding to the product or that
it needs to be mixed with something to be more soluble. For Germall Plus powder and other
powders, we want it to be dissolved well before adding with no little crystals or chunks. For
Euxyl PE 9010, we need to mix it with glycerin, propanediol 1,3, or propylene glycol as it’s
less likely to dissolve in the ingredients in the lotion or shampoo or whathaveyou.
Does this preservative require the addition of other ingredients to increase e cacy?
Many of the naturally compliant preservatives suggest using a chelating ingredient -
something that binds metals, like sodium phytate, disodium EDTA, or tetrasodium EDTA -
or an anti-oxidant, like Vitamin E, as these boost the preserving power. You might see
ingredients like ethylhexyl glycerin, glycerin, or other humectants listed as co-preservatives
because they reduce water activity or can disrupt the cell membranes of the microbes that
can inhabit our products.
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THINGS WE FIND IN
P R E S E RVAT I V E S !
BENZYL ALCOHOL
This is an aromatic alcohol with a sweet aroma that works

well against bacteria and mold by disrupting the cell
membrane barrier, making the microbes more permeable
and allowing other anti-microbials to kill the critters o .
(Reference) It stops microbes from reproducing, rather
than killing them, making it a bacteriostatic. It’s also
included as a fragrance ingredient in products.
It's soluble in water at 4 grams per 100 ml, and is miscible with ethanol. It’s volatile,
meaning it can evaporate at room temperature. It’s related to benzoic acid (acid) and
sodium benzoate (ester).
You can nd it in Euxyl® K 900, Euxyl® K903, Geogard ECT, and TRIstat ECO.
DEHYDROACETIC ACID
An organic acid that works as a fungicidal and low bactericidal that

prevent growth of fungus and bacteria rather than killing them
outright. It’s most e ective at pH 2 to 4, up to pH 5. It can be used at
0.6% or lower in the US and EU, and has been declared safe as used
by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review. It’s sparingly soluble in water -
less than 0.1% for water and glycerin - and propylene glycol, up to
1.7%. It’s 3% soluble in USP ethanol and 1.6% in olive oil.
Found in Euxyl® K703 and Optiphen ND.
E T H Y L H E X Y L G LYC E R I N
Ethylhexylglycerin is an alkyl glycerol ether

we can use to boost the preserving power of
ingredients like phenoxyethanol,
methylparaben, and methylisothiazolinone,
and works as an e ective deodorant, inhibiting
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the growth of bacteria that might cause body odour. Let’s learn a little more about how this
ingredient works!
“The addition of ethylhexylglycerin a ects the interfacial tension at the cell membrane of
microorganisms, improving the preservative activity of phenoxyethanol.” So it’s there to
increase the preserving power and it can inhibit growth of bacteria, so yay to both!
“…ethylhexylglycerin is a medium spreading emollient. The emolliency character is based

on its surface activity due to its surfactant-like structure. Due to this surface activity
ethylhexylglycerin a ects the interfacial tension at the cell membrane of micro-organisms
allowing some active ingredients, such as antimicrobials and preservative actives, to
penetrate more e ectively. Ethylhexylglycerin can enhance the e cacy of preservative
actives, such as phenoxyethanol, methylisothiazolinone or methylparaben, so that lower
levels of these materials can be used. The combination of ethylhexylglycerin with
phenoxyethanol is well-described in literature”. (Reference)
It “…reportedly inhibits the growth and multiplication of odor-causing bacteria and

enhances the e cacy of cosmetic preservatives, such as phenoxyethanol,
methylisothiazolinone, or methylparaben.” (Reference) Yep, it can work in deodorants as a
smell binder!
As a note, you might see some humectants listed as preservatives, but they’re not. They can
bind the water in the product so wee beasties can’t access it to grow and multiply, which
reduces the water activity, but they aren’t preservatives in the strictest sense. Reducing
water activity is an important component of preserving our products with hurdle
technology. (Click here for a longer post.)
It’s slightly soluble in water – 0.1% or so – and only sparingly

soluble in glycerin – 1%. It’s soluble in propylene glycol, butylene
glycol, and alcohol, which was noted as being “highly soluble in
organic solvents”. (Reference) It has a boiling point of 145˚C and
speci c gravity of 0.95 g/ml, meaning 0.95 grams will measure 1
ml. It’s a colourless, odourless liquid with a pH of 6 to 8.
It can be combined with other preservatives, and “Ethylhexylglycerin can not only enhance
the e cacy of traditional preservative actives but also improve the antimicrobial e cacy of
glycols, such as pentylene glycol or caprylyl glycol.” (Reference) Nice!
It’s not all sunshine and cute bunnies for this ingredient, though.“Ethylhexylglycerin is used
in hair sprays and, body and hand sprays, and e ects on the lungs that may be induced
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by aerosolized products containing this ingredient are of concern.” (Reference) But not to
worry, in their nal report on safety, “The Panel noted that 95 – 99% of the droplets/
particles produced in cosmetic aerosols would not be respirable to any appreciable amount.
Coupled with the small actual exposure in the breathing zone and the concentrations at
which the ingredients are used, this information suggested that incidental inhalation would
not be a signi cant route of exposure that might lead to local respiratory or systemic toxic
e ects.”
There are concerns that it might be a sensitizer of skin, causing some reactions, but it’s not
a photo sensitizer or phytotoxic, which is great!
References:
Cosmetics Info
Ethylhexylglycerin: a low-risk, but highly relevant, sensitizer in ‘hypo-allergenic’ cosmetics.
Everything you want to know about this ingredient plus a little bit more!
Safety assessment of alkyl glyceryl ethers
Technical sheet for Ethylhexylglycerin
Imidiazolidinyl and diazolidinyl urea
IMIDIAZOLIDINYL AND DIAZOLIDINYL UREA
Imidiazolidinyl urea is one of the most common

preservatives, found as Germall 115 (a powder). Created
through a chemical reaction of allantoin and formaldehyde in
the presence of a sodium hydroxide solution, it’s then
neutralized with hydrochloric acid and evaporated.
It’s a good anti-bacterial preservative that isn’t great with fungus, so it is generally
combined with other preservatives that ght fungus better, like the parabens. In fact, using
imidiazolidinyl urea with parabens potentiates or increases the e ect of both preservatives!
With a pH of 4 to 9, it’s appropriate for pretty much any product we make, except for
completely anhydrous products as it isn’t soluble in oils. It’s not heat stable, so it must be
added to the cool down phase of our products.
Imidiazolidinyl urea is approved at up to 0.6% in the EU and 0.3% in Japan.

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Diazolidinyl urea is a relative of imidiazolidinyl urea (found

as Germall II, and found in Germall Plus liquid or powder) and
is created in the same way with allantoin as a starting point. It
is water soluble with low oil solubility, and is also a good anti-
bacterial but weak fungal preservative, so it must also be
combined with another preservative for broad spectrum
protection. Its pH is also 4 to 9, so it’s compatible with just
about any product we make (except for anhydrous products as
it’s not oil soluble), and it should be added to the cool down phase of our products because
it’s not heat stable.
Both ureas are considered low formaldehyde releasers. Diazolidinyl urea can be found in
Germall Plus liquid and powder and Germaben II.
IODOPROPYNYL BUT YLC ARBAMATE (IPBC)
Iodopropynyl butylcarbamate (IPBC) is a non-formaldehyde releasing chemical based on

iodine. It is e ective against fungus and bacteria and can be combined with diazolidinyl urea
or parabens to create a broad spectrum preservative.
The Cosmetics Ingredient Review Panel notes it is safe to use at levels equal to or below
0.1% and the EU allows it at up to 0.02% in rinse o products and 0.01% in leave on
products. It is not approved for oral hygiene or lip care products, and it is not approved for
aerosols (which explains why we’re not supposed to use liquid Germall Plus in aerosols as
IPBC is one of the preservatives in LGP! We can, however, use it in a mister because the
particles are larger than those found in an aerosol.)
Out of all the preservatives I’ve reviewed, the only one I can nd that contains IPBC is liquid Germall
Plus.
ORGANIC ACIDS & SODIUM BENZOATE
One of the classes of preservatives we use in our products is the organic acids, their salts
and esters. This group includes benzoic acid, carbamates (like iodopropylbutylcarbamate),
and variations on salicylic acid and sorbic acid.
The organic acids have moderate bacterial activity and great fungicidal activity. The acids
have low water solubility, which is why we generally see them used as a salt or ester. They
are best used in products with a pH of 2 to 6, and they can be incompatible with cationic
and some non-ionic surfactants.
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Sodium benzoate, a salt of benzoic acid, was the rst chemical preservative
allowed by the FDA for food products. It converts to benzoic acid, which is a
good anti-microbial and fungicidal preservative, when it’s in an acidic
mixture. (Benzoic acid isn’t very water soluble, so we use the sodium
benzoate in water so it will dissolve and become benzoic acid.)
Sodium benzoate is bacteriostatic, which means it limits the growth of bacteria by messing
with its metabolism, but doesn’t kill it. It is also a recognized fungicidal ingredient.
The main problem in using sodium benzoate in our products is the pH level – sodium
benzoate works best at pH 5 or less (possibly 6 or less), which means its use is limited to
products more acidic products like toners or moisturizers with AHA or salicylic acid. You
de nitely want to own a pH meter if you’re using this as your main preservative! Sodium
benzoate is approved for us at up to 0.1% for food products and up to 1.0% for cosmetic and
medicinal products. You don’t want to use this with Vitamin C as studies have shown that
together they can form benzene, which is carcinogenic. Geogard Ultra contains sodium
benzoate as its preservative.
Sorbic acid is one of the organic acids, and it can be found

paired with a calcium, magnesium, or sodium salt to help
increase its solubility (see potassium sorbate below). It’s
about three times more soluble in oil than in water. It’s a good
fungal, mould, and yeast inhibitor at pH 6.0 or less, and it’s an okay bactericide. Its optimal
range is at pH 2 to 6, and it’s considered ine ective at pH 7. It can be slightly inactivated by
non-ionic surfactants like polysorbate 20 and 80 (more about this in the near future). It’s
generally found in food stu s at 0.01% to 0.1%. The maximum allowable for cosmetic use in
the US is 0.89%. We nd this in Optiphen Plus.
If you neutralize potassium hydroxide with sorbic acid, you

get potassium sorbate. It’s more water soluble than sorbic
acid, but you have to use about 25% more to get the same
e ect. It’s e ective against yeasts, fungi, and molds, but isn’t
great for bacteria, although it has some e ect. Interestingly enough, the lower the pH, the
less we need to use of this preservative (it’s best at pH 6 or lower). It’s water soluble, so
you’d use it in the water phases of our products, and it’s not suitable for anhydrous
products. The maximum allowable for cosmetic use in the US is 0.39%.
All of these organic acids work best when the pH of a product is 6 or less, and some are
completely useless at above 7. Since most of the products we make are acidic (a shampoo
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should be at 6.5 or less, for instance), they can be appropriate for cosmetic usage. Having
said this, most of these are only okay bactericidal preservatives and will, ideally, be used in
combination with a preservative that excels with bacteria.
PARABENS
Parabens fall under the category of organic acids as they’re para-

hydroxybenzoic acids. There are ve main parabens we nd in cosmetic
products – methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben,
and benzylparaben – and two isomers – isopropylparaben and
isobutylparaben – and the position of the functional group determines the
anti-microbial activity and solubility.
The solubility in water decreases and the preserving activity increases as

the chain length of the paraben increases. So methylparaben is very water
soluble but not so great a preservative, and butylparaben is more oil soluble and a fantastic
preservative. They tend to be more about the fungus ghting powers than the bacterial
ghting powers and they are more e ective against Gram positive bacteria than Gram
negative bacteria.
A quick chemistry lesson here: Meth- means

1, eth- means 2, prop- means 3, and butyl-
means 4. If you look at the picture of
methylparaben, you’ll see there’s 1 CH2 at
the end of the chain. If you look at the picture
of propylparaben, you’ll see there are 3
carbons in that chain. With the
heptylparaben, there should be 7 carbons on the chain. So when we talk about the chain
length increasing, this is what we mean!
Parabens are incompatible with some proteins, and it’s recommended that parabens be
combined with other preservatives that have better bacteria ghting abilities. They are
stable to heat, but best when added to the cool down phase at lower than 60˚C (140˚F).
Parabens can be inactivated by non-ionic surfactants, methylcellulose, gelatin, PEG

emulsi ers, and proteins, as well as the fatty acid esters of sucrose. This means that non-
ionic surfactants that are based on the addition of ethylene or propylene oxide to fatty acids,
fatty alcohols, esters, and polyglycols might make our preservative fail to work. Polysorbate
80 is one of the worst culprits for inactivating parabens, possibly due to the formation of
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complexes through hydrogen bonding. And what about emulsifying wax? Yep, there could
be a problem there as it’s an ethoxylated emulsi er!
But there’s a way out of this problem – the addition of anionic or quaternary compounds to
our products can help prevent the inactivation. So adding something like polyquat 7 or using
BTMS as the emulsi er should keep our preservative working in a lotion, and it won’t be a
problem for surfactant mixes as long as you include an anionic surfactant in the product!
The other way out of paraben inactivation is that very few of the preservatives we buy
contain only parabens. Of all the ones I’ve looked at so far, only Liquipar Oil contains only
parabens. The rest contain a imidiazolidinyl urea or diazolidinyl urea, phenoxyethanol, or
iodopropynyl butylcarbamate, which will help boost anti-bacterial prpoerties.
Parabens do exist in nature, found in Japanese honeysuckle and blueberries, but neither of
these are suitable replacements for synthetic parabens found in our preservatives.
So what’s with the safety of parabens? Do they cause cancer? I’m not getting involved in this
debate, but I will o er you some information I found on the FDA and American Cancer
Society websites. FDA believes that at the present time there is no reason for consumers to
be concerned about the use of cosmetics containing parabens. (Click for the link here.)
Studies have not shown any direct link between parabens and any health problems,
including breast cancer. (Click here to see more about the study from 2004 that claimed
there were parabens found in breast tissue. It was deeply awed.) There are also many other
compounds in the environment that mimic naturally-produced estrogen. From the American
Cancer Society, “Although at this time there are no clear health risks from parabens in food,
drugs, cosmetics, and skin care products, people concerned about exposure to parabens can
avoid products containing them.” (Reference)
Further reading on paraben safety:
Joe Schwarcz’s The Right Chemistry: Paraben phobia is unjusti ed
Paraben phobia is unjusti ed (McGill O ce of Science & Society)
Is Your Makeup Killing You? Decoding Cosmetic Scare Stories (McGill OSS)
Fear Of Parabens Compromises Safety Of Certain Cosmetic Products (American Council on

Science & Health)
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PHENOXYETHANOL
Phenoxyethanol is a phenolic compound with an

alcohol functional group that we nd in quite a few
preservatives. It is not a formaldehyde releaser.
It has good activity against Gram positive and Gram

negative bacteria as well as yeast, and is generally paired
up with another preservative – a quaternium, benzoic acid, or parabens to increase the
fungal ghting abilities. It is compatible with non-ionic ingredients and proteins.
“Phenoxyethanol is soluble in most oils. It is also soluble in water from 0.5 to 2.67 grams
per 100 grams of water. It is miscible with propylene glycol and glycerin.” It’s also miscible
in propanediol 1,3. (Reference: Lotioncrafter)
With an e ective pH range of 3 to 8.5, it’s suitable for all our products, and it can be added
to any phase of our product creation as it is stable in higher temperatures. Interestingly
enough, phenoxyethanol can be used as a fragrance xative, so adding it to our products will
help extend the life span of our products as well as the life span of our lovely scents!
As a note, because it’s volatile at room temperature - meaning it evaporates at room

temperature - it can help protect the head space in our bottles, or the space between the
product and the cap.
You can nd phenoxyethanol in Optiphen (combined with capryl glycol), Optiphen ND

(combined with benzoic acid and dehydroacetic acid), Phenonip (parabens), Liquipar
Optima (parabens), and Liquipar PE (parabens).
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P R E S E RVAT I V E S & PAC K AG I N G

The type of packaging you choose can have a massive
impact on the e cacy of your preservatives and shelf-
life of your products. Every time the container is
opened, it’s exposed to more air, which is a huge
source of contamination, which is why we want to
have smaller openings or ones that aren’t exposed
every time you want to use it.
There’s a great study you can access on my Google Drive, Type

of closure prevents microbial contamination of cosmetics in
consumer use, with all the stats you’d ever want to know! This is what I’m referencing throughout this
section.
When we’re packaging our products, we need to think of the end user, how she will treat the
product once it reaches her house or car. We need to consider how she might contaminate
the product, especially those found in jars or screw top containers. This study used poorly
and well preserved products to maximize the contamination of the products. The chart on
page two of that study should make you shudder. The contamination of both the
unpreserved lotion and shampoo on day one found levels too numerous to count!
This study tested the contamination of shampoo with three di erent caps – the screw cap,
the ip top, and the slit cap (or disc cap). The screw cap containers had the most
contamination (29%) followed by the slit cap (21%) and the ip top (0%).The study also
tested contamination of lotions with three di erent caps – the screw cap, the ip cap and
pump. The screw cap tested very poorly (79%), the ip cap tested poorly as well (39%), and
while the pump tested the lowest (10%).
So what does this mean for us? It means we need to preserve our products well with a
reliable and stable broad spectrum preservative, add an anti-oxidant to retard rancidity, and
follow good manufacturing practices like heating and holding for everything we make. And
it means we need to choose our packaging well. Leave the screw caps for maple syrup and
other cooking goodies, and go with the disc cap, ip top, or pump every time. Malibus are a
very good choice – although they didn’t study those – as it’s unlikely your end user will
leave it open for the beasties to feast.
Again, form should follow function when it comes to caps. What are you dispensing?
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DISC CAP
Ah, the humble disc cap. It’s good for pretty much every product with its tiny
opening that allows surfactants, lotions, toners, and all your other products
to come out with a squish! It’s not great for thick lotions – like a foot lotion –
or sugar scrubs.
Good for: Thin to medium lotions, surfactant mixtures, toners, serums,

shampoo, conditioner, leave in conditioner.
Not good for: Thick lotions, sugar scrubs, anhydrous creams or butters.
Downside: Could be hard to get every drop of lotion out of the bottom.
Upside: Readily available, works with almost every product.
Verdict: A staple of your bottle collection as it will work with almost everything.
PUMP BOTTLE
You can generally nd two types of pumps at the supply shop –

the treatment pump and the regular pump. The treatment
pump is intended for smaller bottles and products you might
want to use sparingly – serums, facial moisturizers, expensive
lotions – and you’ll generally nd them on bottles 4 ounces/120
ml or smaller.
The larger pumps are great for thin and thick lotions, surfactant
mixtures, and anything else you want to dose out. They work
well when you might be going back for more – for instance, for
foot lotion – because you don’t get the container incredibly
messy! They are simply not suitable for something like a toner – something primarily made
of water – because they won’t pump it out properly.
Good for: Lotions, creams, surfactant mixtures, hair care products.
Not good for: Watery creations, sugar scrubs, anhydrous butters.
Downside: More expensive than disc caps. Not suitable for thick
scrubs.
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Upside: Get out every last drop.
Verdict: Pump bottles are great, but can add up to $1.00 to the cost of a bottle.
S P R AY O R M I S T E R C A P
I do love the spray cap. It’s ideal for thin, water creations
like summer or cooling sprays when you want to cover a
larger area or don’t feel like rubbing something in all that
well. I love it for toners and other facial products – spray
on, wipe o , you’re done! If you want to monitor your
dosage of the product – leave in conditioners, for instance –
it’s a great way to ensure you don’t use too much as you
get a little tired pumping the spray! They’re great for
products using oil or cyclomethicone bases (like perfumes
or body sprays) as well.
Also consider trigger mister caps for larger bottles or those that
will be used quite a bit, like alcohol sprays in your workshop or
fragrance sprays for the house, as they’re easier on your hands.
Good for: Watery creations, like thin lotions, leave in

conditioners, anti-frizz serums, perfumes, all liquid oil creations
(like an after bath spray). Fragrance and linen sprays are great in
mister bottles.
Not good for: Medium to thick lotions, sugar scrub, anhydrous

butters.
Downside: Sprayers can be expensive. Not suitable for thick creations, like lotions.
Upside: It sprays!
Verdict: Sprayers are fantastic for products that contain at least 80% to 90% liquids.
As a note, when you see a preservative that isn’t suitable for aerosols, they don’t mean these mister sprays,
they’re referring to those that come in cans with propellant. These sprayers emit much larger droplets that
are heavy and might fall to the ground, which means we aren’t inhaling the product as we use if we
breathe normally.
TURRET CAP
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You can use turret caps – the ones that you have to lift up – for various things, but I nd
them a little hard to nd. I like to use those for very liquidy things like toner or thin lotions.
And ori ce bottles, which are suitable for dispensing essential oils or serums.
MALIBU OR TOTTLE BOTTLES
This is a great bottle for all kinds surfactant based products -

body wash, bubble bath, shampoo - as well as lotions, body
butters, and creams that have a thicker viscosity. The lid clicks
open and shut easily as it’s attached to the bottle, and it’s
hard to remove to get sticky and messy ngers inside that
could challenge the preservative greatly.
Good for: Thickened surfactant products, medium to high

viscosity lotions, body butters, and creams.
Not good for: Moisturizers, thin lotions, low viscosity surfactant based products
Downside: Low viscosity products can leak from larger ori ces.
Upside: You can get almost all the product out of the container eventually.
Verdict: These bottles kick serious bum! They’re handy, help products stay safe and less
exposed, and transport easily if you’re travelling to the gym or overseas.
AIRLESS PUMPS
These containers are designed to push the air out of the container
with a piston that presses from the bottom of the container
upwards when you press it. By keeping out the air, we’re creating a
less hospitable place for microbes.
Good for: Thinner products with low viscosity for the pumps;
thicker viscosity for the jars. Products that contain naturally
compliant or non-traditional preservatives, as per the principles of
hurdle technology. Can use emulsions and anhydrous products, like
oil or silicone based sera in these.
Not good for: Anything thicker than a facial moisturizer.
Downside: They can get pretty expensive compared to other bottles.

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Upside: Your product is stored away from air, so the shelf life increases dramatically. Fewer
chances of contamination as it’s sealed and your user can’t remove the lid without wrecking
the bottle, so it’s safe from sticky ngers. They transport really well. This is one of the
principles of hurdle technology. .
You can also buy airless jars that work for thicker products. Click here to see an example of
an acrylic airless jar (Lotioncrafter) or click here for an example of a propylene airless jar
(Lotioncrafter). They have the same advantages as the airless pumps.
FOAMER BOTTLES
These bottles consist of two pieces - the bottle and the

foaming cap - which you should always buy together to
make sure they t well. Foamer bottles have a special
mechanism that aerates the very thin foam to produce
more bubbles, lather, and foam when you press on the
pump.
“A foam pump emits doses of the liquid contained in the

bottle in the form of foam. Foam is created in the foamer
chamber. The liquid constituents are mixed in the
foaming chamber and this is discharged through a nylon mesh. The neck nish size of a
foam pump is bigger than the neck nish size of other types of pumps, to accommodate the
foamer chamber. The usual neck size of a foam pump is 40 or 43mm.” (xRuhiel on Reddit)
Good for: Thin or diluted surfactant or soap-based cleansers to which you want to add foam
and lather.
Not good for pretty much everything else as they’re designed to work with foamy, bubbly,
lathery™ surfactants.
Downside: They’re slightly more expensive than non-foamer bottles. They don't have a huge
range of sizes at our suppliers - I can get 50 ml (1.7 ounces), and 200 ml to 250 ml easily,
but not much in between.
Upside: They make dilute mixtures foam really well, so you need to use smaller percentages
of active surfactants, saving you money. They’re sealed well, so your products are less
exposed to air, so they’re better preserved.
Read a lot more about foamer bottles in this post on the blog!
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JARS!
I love jars for my body butters, intense conditioners, scrubs. and
whipped butters, but they are the worst for contamination!
If you have no other choice but to use them because your

products are too thick or even almost solid, please share very
clear instructions on your jars for how to use the product to
keep it safe. Wash hands before using, do not let water drip into
the scrub, do not let the dog lick it – you know, the basics - as
these can help ensure your end user is using the product the
right way. But let’s be honest, there have been times when you
want to slather on a little body butter before going to bed and
you haven’t washed your hands in a few hours…what do you do
there? Good preserving won’t wash away all your sins, but it will certainly ensure you see
numbers that aren’t too numerous to count when it comes to contaminant counts!
C L E A N I N G & R E C YC L I N G PAC K AG I N G
I’m asked about cleaning packaging all the time and my answer is no, don’t do anything to
the bottles and jars you’ve purchased from suppliers. When you receive them, put them in
plastic bags or sealable boxes to avoid dust and other contaminants from the air, assume
anything from our suppliers arrives to us clean and ready to use. When it’s time to ll those
bottles and jars, just put your product into them. Don’t spray the inside with alcohol or
anything else as that’s introducing possible contaminants, and de nitely don’t put them into
the dishwasher or any other device to be washed as that also introduces contaminants. If
you’ve stored it properly, it’s good to go!
And you can't recycle plastic packaging, caps, and lids - once it’s been used, it’s recycling.
Trust me, I learned this the hard way. No matter how well you clean it, there’ll still be
molecules of oil, fragrance oils, essential oils, and other ingredients in the tiny corners of the
bottle or jar, in the threads, even invisible to the naked eye. Those can go rancid over time,
so you’re adding a fresh, shiny new batch of something to a recycled container that has a few
molecules that’ll turn it all bad in a short period of time.
If you want to recycle packaging for your personal use, you can try those silicone tubes and
bottles intended for multiple uses for travelling. I’ve been trying a few out over the last year
- when I haven’t been travelling much beyond my front yard, ironically - and I’ve found they
clean up well with no odours or fragrances left behind.
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You can re-use glass containers, although don’t use these for any products that’ll be near the
bath, shower, or anywhere else slippery for if they break, you may nd yourself in quite a
horribly dangerous situation. If you do this, please change any lids or closures that have
plastic, rubber, cork, or other absorbent material as molecules and bits can be found in
there, which can contaminate your new batch of lovely things.
AN IMPORTANT ASIDE ON HEAD SPACE IN PAC KAGIN G
The space between the lid of your product and the product
itself is called the head space. There’s a huge surface where
the air and product meet, and that’s where we nd air and
moisture, two things that can harbour all kinds of microbes,
creating contamination.
We can protect that area by using volatile preservatives,

those that evaporate at room temperature, like AMTicide
VAF or phenoxyethanol.
When packaging our products, ll our jars and bottles as full

as they can go to reduce the amount of headspace.
This is one of the reasons we say not to ll your bottles

when they’re warm: You can get condensed water that
doesn’t contain preservatives under the cap, around the neck of the bottle, and on the sides
of the container. There’s more risk for contamination when you ll the containers warm, so
always wait until the product reaches room temperature.
Airless containers push up to reduce the amount of

headspace with every press, so they’re more e ective
against contamination. In non-airless containers, the
headspace grows larger as we use the product, which can
lead to contamination, so using something that isn’t
exposed to air frequently increases the shelf life.
You can see in this photo that the bottom of the container is clear
because I’ve used some of the lotion.
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H U R D L E T E C H N O LO GY & G O O D
MANUFACTURING PROCESSES
When you want to use non-traditional or naturally compliant preservatives, there’s a
process called hurdle technology which we should follow to create the best environment for
the preservative to work at full capacity.
Hurdle technology is “a term used to describe the intelligent combination of di erent

preservation factors or hurdles to deteriorate the growth of microorganisms. Adherence to
current good manufacturing practice, appropriate packaging, careful choice of the form of
the emulsion, low water activity and low or high pH values are signi cant variables for the
control of microbial growth in cosmetic formulations…The goal is to block the growth of
microorganisms by putting in their path various impediments that should each reduce the
microorganism number but not kill the entire population.” (Reference)
In other words, we’re putting hurdles or barriers in the way of microbes, making it much
harder for them to contaminate our products.
This is what we need to consider when it comes to hurdle technology: Good manufacturing
processes, type of emulsion, pH, water activity, packaging, and other anti-microbial
ingredients.
GOOD MANUFACTURING PROCESSES
“Preparation of the cosmetic product under strictly aseptic conditions should hinder the
ingress of microorganisms. Water ltration and radiation systems, positive pressure,
microbial testing of raw materials, disinfection of the equipment and properly trained and
dressed personnel can signi cantly reduce the danger of contamination [9, 10]. Thus, the
use of strictly aseptic conditions during the production of cosmetics is proposed, especially
when a self-preserving system is used in the formulations.” (Reference)
The biggest step is to ensure you’re starting as clean as possible. Reading those standards, I
think it’s safe to say that this really isn’t possible in a non-lab formulating environment, and
super di cult in something that isn’t a customized facility. This isn’t a slam on anyone, but
I can assure you I’ve been in labs at university and elsewhere where out of this would be
di cult, if not impossible, to do.
I know there are some who will argue that it is possible to adhere to all of these good manufacturing
processes at home: I know I can’t. If you can, I shall shower kudos upon you and wish you well. I think we
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can get very close, but not at the 100% level required for some of these preservatives or to create “self-
preserving” products.
We can do things like spray our space and equipment in 70% alcohol and such, but we will
never achieve anything remotely close to what anyone would considered “sterilized”, more
sanitized or sanitary, which is still pretty darned good. Be appropriately garbed - hair tied
back, goggles on, gloves on, using distilled or de-ionized water. Don’t put your containers or
containers of ingredients on the oor. (There’s no 5 second rule in formulating.)
T YPES OF WATER?
Use only distilled water, reverse osmosis, or de-ionized water in our products. Tap, well,
spring, or mineral water unacceptable and can introduce all kinds of metals and beasties to
our products. Boiling water to “purify” it isn’t acceptable for formulating products as that
might get rid of some issues, but it will concentrate things like chlorine and uoride.
This is a really really important concept that needs to be emphasized: If you start with
water that contains metals and contaminants, you’re starting with contaminated
products, which puts you and your users at risk. I know it’s a pain to go to the grocery
store to get a gallon/4 litres of distilled water, but at $2 Cdn or less a container, it’s a small
price to pay to create gorgeous, amazing, and safe products. This goes for any type of
formulating.
PAC KAGIN G
As you saw in the previous section on packaging, the type of

container you use is important in this process. Airless pumps
or jars are far less likely to allow for contamination when
compared to a jar that is opened and exposed to the air with
hands and ngers being dipped into it. There’s no way any
container into which any part of the body could be dipped
would ever be considered acceptable for packaging under the
principles of hurdle technology or those that claim to be “self-
preserved”.
See the section above on packaging, take a look at this study on my

Google Drive you can download for more on packaging types.
WATER ACTIVIT Y
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Reducing the water activity of the product is super important, too! Water activity is de ned
as the water requirements for survival or growth of microorganisms, but water activity is
not the same as the amount of water in a product. In some cases, the water is bound to
other molecules (say, Epsom salts) and isn’t free for usage by the microbes. In other cases,
the water is bound by humectants like propylene glycol, propanediol 1,3, hexylene glycol,
sorbitol, or glycerin (anywhere from 10% to 20% will bind water). So water activity is
actually a measure of the amount of free (unbound or active) water molecules present in our
products. Water activity increases or decreases with with increases or decreases in pressure
and temperature. pH also plays a role.
You’ll see these humectants along with caprylyl glycol or ethylhexylglycerin used as
preservative boosters because they bind the water.
A D D I T I O N S T O S U P P O R T T H E P R E S E RVAT I V E S YS T E M ,
OTHER ANTI-MICROBIAL INGREDIENTS
There are ingredients we can add to boost the preserving power of our preservatives, like
metal chelating ingredients at 0.2% like tetrasodium EDTA, disodium EDTA, or sodium
phytate.“…lactic acid, citric acid and phytic acid increase the permeability of cell membranes
and make them more sensitive to antimicrobial agents.” (Reference: Self-preserving
cosmetics) This means we’re making these microbes weaker and more sensitive to the
preservatives we’re using.
Glyceryl caprylate, caprylyl glycol, and ethylhexylglycerin also work to increase permeability
of the cell membranes, which is why we see these in a lot of these non-traditional
preservatives. These are called medium chain terminal diols, used at 0.5% to 2%, against
bacteria. (Reference)
Adding an anti-oxidant, like up to 0.1% T-50 mixed tocopherols (Vitamin E) can slow down
rancidity of the oils, which can make contamination more likely.
PH
The pH measurement - the number that tells us if the product is acidic, neutral, or alkaline -
is a vital part of hurdle technology. “Although many yeasts and molds are able to tolerate
acidic pH conditions, many microorganisms are metabolically injured or stressed by extreme
pH conditions of less than 4 or greater than 10.” There’s an issue, though with creating
leave-in or rinse-o products with those kinds of measurements, “…adjustment of the pH
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to low or high values is a di cult problem especially for leave-on products as excess acidity
or alkalinity may cause skin irritations.” (References, Self-Preserving)
The recommended pH for hurdle technology is pH 5 or lower, acidic products. This works
for rinse-o and leave on products for the skin and hair, although some hair types might like
it to be a little higher. “No more tears” products have a neutral pH, generally pH 7 to 7.5, so
hurdle technology isn’t suitable.
I very rarely make or suggest making products with a pH over 8 as these can irritate all
kinds of skin types when used as leave-on products. Soap can have a pH as high as 10.5, and
that’s ne for a rinse-o product. For hair care products, like shampoo, conditioner, leave-in
conditioners, pre-shampoo, hair masks, hair styling products, and hair butter, you want the
pH to be below 7 and generally below 6. I don’t like my products to be too acidic as that can
irritate your eyes, and I’m extremely chaotic and messy in the shower and always get
something that burns just a little bit, so I make sure mine are closer to 6 than 5.
When making lotions with a higher or lower pH, check to ensure they won’t hydrolyze, like
simple esters - cetyl ricinoleate, cetyl esters, myristyl myristate, lauryl laurate - or saponify,
like our natural oils, butters, and some esters.
Ensure your ingredients are compatible with lower or high pH levels. If you’re using alpha-
hydroxy acids or salicylic acid, they won’t be acids any more if you’re adjusting to pH 10.
Lotions that use stearic acid-triethanolamine to create TEA-stearate, like some of Lush’s
lotions, will have a pH of 8+, which is an alkaline environment in which some microbes
can’t live. But they can be irritating to skin as we want to have something closer to pH 5 to
6 for most skin types.
TYPE OF EMULSION
A water-in-oil lotion (generally) has less water, thus less water available for microbes and
such to feast upon when compared to an oil-in-water lotion. “It has been suggested that a
W/O emulsion, where the oil is the continuous phase, is less prone to microbial spoilage,
compared to an O/W formulation. This might be true but it does not exclude the need for a
preservative system. However, it places another obstacle in the microorganism’s approach.”
(Self-preserving cosmetics)
This is all well and good, but making these kinds of lotions require completely di erent
emulsi ers, stabilizers, preservatives, and techniques - a whole new way of making
emulsions, something most of us haven’t mastered yet.
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HOW C AN C OMPANIES MAKE “SELF -

P R E S E RV I N G ” O R P R E S E RVAT I V E -
FREE PRODUCTS THAT CONTAIN
WATER?
This is what started my quest to gure this all out - “More than 65% of Lush products are
self-preserving, which means that they don’t require any synthetic preservatives to keep
them fresh.” This is kinda the important bit. “…they don’t require any synthetic
preservatives…” (reference)
This is a really important sentence – “the product does not contain substances that are
classi ed as preservatives according to the cosmetic legislation” - because there are tons of
ingredients that are being used as preservatives that might not be called preservatives, but
certainly are.
But here’s my question: If something preserves a product, isn’t it a preservative? If we make

a jam using a certain amount of jam or pickles using a certain amount of vinegar and brine,
aren’t those preserving methods? Wouldn’t we consider the sugar or salt or whatever else to
be a preservative? I don’t think something has to be classi ed in government documents as
a preservative to be a preservative, so this kind of word play really bothers me.
There are a few things you’ll nd used as preservatives that aren’t called preservatives, but
work to preserve your product…
Spectrastat G2 – INCI: Caprylhydroxamic Acid (and) Glyceryl Caprylate (and) Glycerin – is

one of those preservatives, one that can be used in products and still called “preservative
free”. (Company site)
Caprylyl glycol (aka 1,2-octanediol) is a good bacteriostatic ingredient (meaning it limits

the growth of the bacteria but doesn’t kill it) and bactericide, but it isn’t very e ective
against yeast or fungi. We nd caprylyl glycol in Optiphen and Optiphen Plus, and Jeecide
CAP-2.
Glycerin (and) water (and) sodium levulinate (and) sodium anisate: “dermosoft® 1388
ECO is a convenient blend of plant derived organic acids with broad antimicrobial activity.
The performance of this blend is pH dependent. The balanced combination of ingredients
o ers an e ective multi-functionality for a wide range of cosmetic products. It brings skin
conditioning, masking, pH regulating and antimicrobial activity in to the product. In
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emulsions, a combination with antimicrobial surface active substance (e.g. dermosoft®

GMCY) is recommended to improve the performance of the product.” (Reference)
W H Y A N D W H E R E T O H AV E YO U R
P R O D U C T S P R E S E RVAT I V E
CHALLENGE TESTED?
What is preservative challenge testing (also called preservative e cacy testing or
PET)? This refers to a series of tests labs can undertake “to test the growth of bacteria,
mold, yeast and pathogens to determine your product’s ability to inhibit such micro-
organisms” (Reference) - in other words, they see if your product is safe. Challenge testing
should include contaminants like gram-positive bacteria, gram-negative bacteria, and fungi,
yeast and mold. It’s suggested to have tests done throughout the life span of the product,
when it’s rst made, during use, then at the end of the expected shelf-life to see how it
works.
There are other tests these labs can do - amongst other ones, like measuring water activity
or analyzing for allergens - but this is the big one as it predicts how your product will do in
the wild when it reaches your customers’ hands.
This is essential to ensure your products are safe, but even more important if you’re using
non-traditional preservatives that require hurdle technology or haven’t been in public use
for very long. It’s up to you to ensure your products are safe before sale - you could lose a
great deal of money, trust, and credibility if you were to be found liable for a product you
hadn’t tested.
There’ll be di erent tests for di erent parts of the world to comply with those regulations
and for types of products, like water-only, eye care products, natural health products, wipes,
emulsions, or anhydrous products, to name a few.
These aren’t inexpensive tests - I saw one from Cosmetic Testing Lab that was around 259
($398 Cdn, $315 US), so you could be spending more or less, depending on what you’re
getting for that money. I saw a reference from NDA Australia that the test is $1,100 AUS, so
it can vary based on location, too.
Here are a few labs that might be able to help you with challenge testing. I haven’t used
these, but they have come highly recommended from formulators and chemists I trust. (If
you want more information from them, please write to them instead of phoning as these
kinds of places are always swamped!)I’m sharing these based on where they’re located or
where they say they service, but this isn’t de nitive.
AHRD - Australia
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BioScreen Testing Services Inc - California, USA
BluTest - Scotland
Cosmetic Testing Lab - UK, EU
Custom Analytics - South Carolina ($525 for PET testing)
Donnington Laboratories Ltd - UK
Euro ns - a network around the world, mostly the EU with a few locations in Asia, Africa,
and North America.
I.G. Micromed - Richmond, Canada
Kinetik - located in the US, works with labs around the world
MCS Laboratories Ltd - UK
MSL Solution Providers - UK
Microchem Laboratory - Texas, USA
Nelson Labs - a network around the world, mostly US with a few locations in Asia, Europe.
NucroTechnics - Toronto, Canada
SGS - world wide
TruLux - Australia
Further reading on preservative challenge testing. (I’ve included materials that should apply
to most of those reading this around the world.)
Challenge testing: principles and practice (PubMed)
The use of the challenge test to analyse preservative e ciency in non-sterile cosmetic and
health products: applications and critical points (Royal Society of Chemistry)
What is challenge testing? (Cosmetics & Toiletries)
ISO 11930 – A Comparison to other Methods to Evaluate the E cacy of Antimicrobial

Preservation (SOFW Journal)
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The rising importance of preservative e cacy testing (Manufacturing Chemist)
Preservative Testing – Choice of Challenge Isolates - by the always awesome Dr. Phil Geis,
one of my preserving gurus!
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P R E S E RVAT I V E C O M PA R I S O N C H A R T
This chart is intended to give you a quick way of checking to see if your chosen preservative
works with your product. Does the preservative work with positively charged (cationic) or
negatively charged (anionic) ingredients? Is it soluble in water or oil? Can we use it with
surfactants?
I will be o ering in-depth charts about these and more preservatives in March 2021’s e-book, The Big
Book of Preservatives, part two, click on the links in the chart to see full write-ups on the blog, or click
here to nd the huge preservative section of the blog, always found under “ingredients” under the resources
tab.
PRESERVATIVE Cationic Anionic pH range Water Anhydrous Surfactant Usage

only?
Euxyl K 703 Yes No 3 to 6 Add No Avoid Add 0.4% to 1.2% to

ethoxylated
Phenoxyethanol (and) Benzoic with the cool down phase of
Acid (and) Dehydroacetic Acid. solvent the product at 40˚C or
lower
Euxyl K 900 Yes Yes to pH 12 Add No Avoid 0.5% to 1% heated

ethoxylated
Benzyl Alcohol (and) with phase as it’s heat
Ethylhexylglycerin solvent tolerant to 100˚C
(212˚F)
Euxyl K 903 Yes Yes 3 to 6, 5 Add No Avoid 0.4% to 1.2% in the

ethoxylated
Benzyl alcohol (and) benzoic acid to 5.5 with cool down phase
(and) dihydroacetic acid best solvent
Euxyl PE 9010 Yes Yes 3 to 8.5 Add No Avoid 0.5% to 1% mixed

ethoxylated
Phenoxyethanol (and) with with solvent into the
Ethylhexylglycerin solvent heated or cool down
phase.
Geogard ECT (also called Yes Yes 3 to 8, Yes No Yes 1% in the cool down
NeoDefend) best 5.5 phase at 38˚C or
Benzyl Alcohol & Salicylic Acid & and lower lower. Not broad
Glycerin & Sorbic Acid spectrum, add
something for bacteria.
Naturally compliant.
Geogard Ultra Yes Yes 3 to 7 Yes No Yes 0.75% to 2% in the

D-Glucono-1,5,-lactone and heated water phase.
sodium benzoate Broad spectrum.
Naturally compliant.
Germaben II Yes Yes 3 to 7.5 Yes No Yes 0.5% to 1.0%

Propylene Glycol, diazolidinyl Add to the cool down
urea, ethylparaben, and phase. Great for hard-
propylparaben to-preserve products.
Germall Plus, liquid Yes Yes 3 to 8 Yes No Yes 0.1% to 0.5%

Propylene glycol, diazolidinyl Add to the cool down
urea, and iodopropynyl phase.
butylcarbamate
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PRESERVATIVE Cationic Anionic pH range Water Anhydrous Surfactant Usage

only?
Jeecide CAP-2 (also called Cap-2) Yes Yes 3 to 10 Yes, with a Yes Yes 0.5% to 1.5% for
solubilizer
Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, lotions in the cool
Hexylene Glycol down phase.
Jeecide CAP-5 (also called Cap-5) Yes Yes 3 to 6.5 Yes, with a Yes Yes 0.5% to 1.5% for
solubilizer
Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl lotions in the cool
Glycol (and) Potassium Sorbate down phase.
(and) Water (and) Hexylene
Glycol
Leucidal Liquid Yes No 3 to 8 Yes No Yes, non- 4% at 70˚C (158˚F) or

ionic &
Leuconostoc/Radish Root lower. Not broad
amphoteric
Ferment Filtrate spectrum, combine
with fungicide
Naturally compliant
Leucidal Liquid Advanced Aloe Yes No 3 to 8 Yes No Yes, non- 4% at 70˚C (158˚F) or
ionic &
Water & Leuconostoc/Aloe lower.
amphoteric
barbadensis Leaf/ Not broad spectrum,
Sorbus aucuparia Fruit Ferment combine with
Filtrate fungicide
Naturally compliant
Leucidal Liquid Complete Yes No 3 to 8 Yes No Yes, non- 4% in the cool down
ionic &
Leuconostoc/Radish Root phase at 70˚C (158˚F)
amphoteric
Ferment Filtrate & Lactobacillus Naturally compliant
& Cocos Nucifera (Coconut)
Fruit Extract
Leucidal SF Complete Yes No 3 to 8 Yes No Yes, non- 4% in the cool down

ionic &
Lactobacillus Ferment and phase at 70˚C (158˚F)
amphoteric
Lactobacillus and Cocos Nucifera or lower
(Coconut) Fruit Extract Naturally compliant
Liquipar Optima Yes Yes 3 to 8 No Yes Not 0.5% to 1% when the

Phenoxyethanol, methylparaben, foamy product is below 80˚C.
isopropylparaben, ones Must contain oils, not
isobutylparaben, butylparaben. water only products.
Excellent for hard-to-
preserve products
Optiphen ND No Yes 5 to 6 No Yes Yes 0.2% to 1.2% in any

Phenoxyethanol (and) Benzoic phase of your creation
Acid (and) Dehydroacetic Acid.
Optiphen Plus Yes Yes 6 and Yes No Yes 0.75% to 1% in the

Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl under heated water phase
Glycol (and) Sorbic Acid
Phenonip Yes Yes 3 to 8 Yes Yes Yes 0.25% to 1%

Phenoxyethanol (and) Use in the heated
Methylparaben (and) phase of your
Ethylparaben (and) Butylparaben products.
(and) Propylparaben (and)
Isobutylparaben
H O W T O C H O O S E A P R E S E RVAT I V E
There are so many variables when it comes to choosing a preservative - here’s the checklist I
use when making choices for my products.
C H E C K L I S T F O R C H O O S I N G A P R E S E RVAT I V E
What type of product are you making? Is it a rinse-o or leave-on product? You might
choose a di erent preservative for a lotion than you would a shampoo bar. Also, some
preservatives aren’t approved for body lotions or leave-on products.
Which ingredients are you using? Look for surfactants, proteins, gums, gels, and
ethoxylated ingredients, like water soluble oils, esters, and emulsi ers. Also look for
electrolytes, like salts found in aloe vera extract, hyaluronic acid, magnesium chloride,
sodium chloride, magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts), EDTA or sodium phytate, lake
colours, and other powdered colourants and pigments.
Does the product contain oil soluble ingredients, water soluble ingredients? Is this an
anhydrous product? If it’s anhydrous, will the product be exposed to water?
Preservatives require di erent types of ingredients into which they’ll mix, like oil or
water. Something that dissolves only in water won’t work for a lip balm, you’ll want
something that dissolves in oil. Something that only dissolves in oil isn’t a good choice
for a water-only toner, facial cleanser, or body wash.
Does it contain hard-to-preserve ingredients? Look for botanical extracts, hydrosols,

oral waters, distillates, proteins, and clay.
What’s the charge? Non-ionic, anionic, cationic - what’s your product’s charge, what’s
the preservative charge, and will they work together?
What’s the pH of your product? Check the pH range of your product to determine if the
preservative will work with it. Organic acids have to be pH 6 or below, while Germall
Plus or Germaben II can go into the alkaline range.
What kind of packaging will you be using? If you’re using a more sealed container, like
one with a pump, disc cap, or turret, or Malibu/tottle, these will have less exposure to
air. If you’re using a jar or bottle with screw-o lid, this will have a lot of exposure to air.
If you’re using an airless jar or bottle, this will have no exposure to air, as per hurdle
technology.
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Is the preservative broad spectrum? If not, what do you need to add to it?
How much should you use? They all have suggested usage rates, but I tend to use the
maximum usage rates for the rst few batches to see how they do, then consider using
less.
When do you add it? Into which phase? Check the heat tolerance and solubility.
How to add it? Does it need a solubilizer or solvent? Can you add the preservative
directly into the product, or do we need to mix it in some way before adding?
Do you need to add another ingredient to support the preservative? Consider adding a
chelating ingredient, like sodium phytate or EDTA, or an anti-oxidant.
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LINKS FROM HERE TO THE END OF

THE E-ZINE: CHOOSING THE
P R E S E RVAT I V E F O R A F OA M I N G
FACIAL CLEANSER
Let’s work through this rinse-o , foaming facial cleanser
we’ll be putting into a foamer bottle or thickening to put in a
pump bottle. We’ll analyze the ingredients, consider a few
potential preservatives, then see how we’d use them with
this formula.
As a note, Plantapon® TF (INCI: Decyl Glucoside, (and)

Polyglyceryl-10 Caprylate/Caprate (and) Coco Glucoside
(and) Glyceryl Oleate) is a blend of gentle to mild, non-ionic
foamy, bubbly, lathery™ surfactants and non-ionic thickeners
and emollients that can create tear-free cleansers with a skin
friendly pH of 4.5 to 5.5, used at around 20%. It has a non-
ionic charge and doesn’t contain any ethoxylated surfactants.
Cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) is an amphoteric surfactant that has a positive charge in

acidic (pH 6.9 and below) products. The version I use, Amphosol® CG by Stepan, has a pH
of 5 to 7, which is great for facial products.
ENERGIZING PEPPERMINT & GREEN TEA FOAMING

FACIAL CLEANSER FOR DRY TO NORMAL SKIN
(FORMULA #1)
SURFACTANT PHASE DESCRIPTION
10% Plantapon TF Non-ionic blend of foamy, bubbly, lathery surfactants
5% cocamidopropyl betaine Amphoteric foamy, bubbly, lathery surfactant
WATER PHASE
up to 100% distilled water Water, diluent, use as much as we need to make the
formula total 100%.
10% peppermint hydrosol Hydrosol or oral water from peppermint (botanical)

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10% aloe vera extract Liquid extract of aloe vera (botanical), electrolyte
3% glycerin Humectant to hydrate skin, solvent
3% propanediol 1,3 Humectant to hydrate skin, solvent
3% green tea extract (liquid) Liquid extract of green tea (botanical)
2% hydrolyzed quinoa protein Protein derived from quinoa
0.5% powdered chamomile Powdered extract of chamomile (botanical)

extract
0.5% powdered cucumber Powdered extract of cucumber (botanical)
extract
TBD% preservative Preservative, to be determined.
Let’s run down the check list and consider those things that’ll have an impact on our
preservative choice.
What type of product is this? This is a foamy facial cleanser that will be rinsed o the skin
with water.
Which ingredients are we using? We have non-ionic and amphoteric surfactants, proteins,
humectants, and botanical extracts. It doesn’t contain any ethoxylated ingredients. It does
contain aloe vera extract and cocamidopropyl betaine, both of which contain salt.
Does the product contain oil soluble ingredients, water soluble ingredients? This is a
water-soluble ingredients only product, there are no oils and no emulsi ers or solubilizers
for adding oils. It is not an anhydrous product.
Does it contain hard-to-preserve ingredients? Yes, it contains a lot of botanical extracts -

aloe vera, green tea, cucumber, and chamomile - as well as peppermint hydrosol. The aloe
vera, liquid green tea extract, and peppermint hydrosols are easier to preserve than the
powders, which are quite challenging for preservatives.
What’s the charge? The Plantapon® TF is non-ionic, meaning it has no charge.

Cocamidopropyl betaine is positively charged or cationic in acidic products. The protein
might be slightly positively charged. The rest of the ingredients are non-ionic. We could
consider this non-ionic unless the preservative you’re choosing doesn’t work with
amphoterics speci cally.
What’s the pH? This formula as written has a pH of around 5.6.

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What kind of packaging will we be using? I’ll be putting this in a foaming bottle as I’m
not thickening it.
This product is a foamy, bubbly, lathery® facial cleanser that has a pH of 5.6 and will be in a
foamer bottle with a pump, which is a wonderful container for keeping products protected
from air exposure. It has a mostly non-ionic charge with loads of botanical extracts and
some salts. There’s no oil phase in this product, it contains only water soluble ingredients.
The surfactants are non-ionic and amphoteric, and they aren’t ethoxylated. There’s no
heated phase for this product, but we can heat up the water if necessary, then move some
ingredients to a cool down phase, like the botanical extracts.
Given this information, which preservatives might be right for this product? (We’ll be
referring to the preservative comparison chart quite a lot for these sections…) As we work
through this chart, I’ll highlight anything that’s incompatible with our product in red to
make it easier to see those issues.
E N E R G I Z I N G FAC I A L C L E A N S E R P R E S E RVAT I V E R E V I E W
CHART
PRESERVATIVE Surfactant Hard-to- pH at 5.6 Water only? Broad Is it suitable?

preserve
spectrum?
Euxyl K 703 Yes No 3 to 6 Add with solvent Yes No

Phenoxyethanol (and) Benzoic
Euxyl K 900 Yes No to pH 12 Add with solvent Yes No

Benzyl Alcohol (and)
Ethylhexylglycerin
Euxyl K 903 Yes No 3 to 6, 5 to Add with solvent Yes No

Benzyl alcohol (and) benzoic acid 5.5 best
(and) dihydroacetic acid
Euxyl PE 9010 Yes No 3 to 8.5 Add with solvent Yes No

Phenoxyethanol (and)
Ethylhexylglycerin
Geogard ECT (also called Yes No 3 to 8, best Yes No No

NeoDefend) 5.5 and
Benzyl Alcohol & Salicylic Acid & lower
Glycerin & Sorbic Acid
Geogard Ultra Yes No 3 to 7 Yes Yes No

D-Glucono-1,5,-lactone and
sodium benzoate
Germaben II Yes Yes 3 to 7.5 Yes Yes Yes, add to the

Propylene Glycol, diazolidinyl cool down
urea, ethylparaben, and phase.
propylparaben
PRESERVATIVE Surfactant Hard-to- pH at 5.6 Water only? Broad Is it suitable?

preserve
spectrum?
Germall Plus, liquid Yes Yes 3 to 8 Yes Yes Yes, add to the
Propylene glycol, diazolidinyl cool down
butylcarbamate
Jeecide CAP-2 (also called Cap-2) Yes No 3 to 10 Yes, with a Yes No

Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, solubilizer
Hexylene Glycol
Jeecide CAP-5 (also called Cap-5) Yes No 3 to 6.5 Yes, with a Yes No
Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl solubilizer
Glycol (and) Potassium Sorbate
Glycol
Leucidal Liquid Yes, non- No 3 to 8 Yes No No

ionic &
Leuconostoc/Radish Root
amphoteric
Ferment Filtrate
Leucidal Liquid Advanced Aloe Yes, non- No 3 to 8 Yes No No

ionic &
Water & Leuconostoc/Aloe
amphoteric
barbadensis Leaf/
Sorbus aucuparia Fruit Ferment
Filtrate
Leucidal Liquid Complete Yes, non- No 3 to 8 Yes Yes No

ionic &
Leuconostoc/Radish Root
amphoteric
Ferment Filtrate & Lactobacillus
Fruit Extract
Leucidal SF Complete Yes, non- No 3 to 8 Yes Yes No

ionic &
Lactobacillus Ferment and
amphoteric
Lactobacillus and Cocos Nucifera
(Coconut) Fruit Extract
Liquipar Optima Not Yes 3 to 8 No Yes No

Phenoxyethanol, methylparaben, foamy
isopropylparaben, ones
isobutylparaben, butylparaben.
Optiphen ND Yes No 5 to 6 No Yes No

Phenoxyethanol (and) Benzoic
Optiphen Plus Yes No 6 and Yes Yes No

Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl under
Glycol (and) Sorbic Acid
Phenonip Yes Yes 3 to 8 Yes Yes Yes, use in the

Phenoxyethanol (and) heated phase
Methylparaben (and) of the
Ethylparaben (and) Butylparaben products.
Isobutylparaben
Which ones look best? Germaben II, Phenonip, and Germall Plus liquid work well with
hard-to-preserve formulas with loads of botanicals, so these would be our best choice. They
are all easy to add to a foamy surfactant product, so we don’t have to do all kinds of things
like using solvents or solubilizers.
How much should we use? Because we have some challenging ingredients, I’m suggesting
the maximum allowed, so 1% Germaben II, 0.5% Germall Plus liquid, or 1% Phenonip.
Could we boost the preserving power with a chelating ingredient? De nitely, I like to
add chelating ingredients to foamy, bubbly, lathery™ surfactants because it helps them foam
and rinse o better in hard water, so let’s add 0.2% sodium phytate, disodium EDTA, or
tetrasodium EDTA to the product.
Check the phase into which you’ll add the preservative and if you need to mix it with
something rst. For Phenonip, it wants to be in the heated phase of the surfactants, so we’ll
create a heated phase just for that preservative.
Let’s look at the formula now using each of these three preservatives, putting them in the
right phases of the product.
In this rst version, we’ve added a slightly heated surfactant phase to dissolve the sodium
phytate or EDTA. The preservatives remain in the cool down phase.

(FORMULA WITH GERMALL PLUS LIQUID AND
GERMABEN II)
VERSION WITH GERMALL PLUS VERSION WITH GERMABEN II
LIQUID
SLIGHTLY HEATED SURFACTANT SLIGHTLY HEATED SURFACTANT
PHASE (to 50˚C/122˚F) PHASE (to 50˚C/122˚F)
52.3% distilled water 51.8% distilled water
10% Plantapon TF 10% Plantapon TF
10% peppermint hydrosol 10% peppermint hydrosol
10% aloe vera extract 10% aloe vera extract
3% glycerin 3% glycerin
3% propanediol 1,3 3% propanediol 1,3
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5% cocamidopropyl betaine 5% cocamidopropyl betaine

0.2% sodium phytate, tetrasodium EDTA, 0.2% sodium phytate, tetrasodium EDTA,
disodium EDTA disodium EDTA
COOL DOWN PHASE (at 45˚C/113˚F) COOL DOWN PHASE (at 45˚C/113˚F)
3% green tea extract (liquid) 3% green tea extract (liquid)
2% hydrolyzed quinoa protein 2% hydrolyzed quinoa protein
0.5% powdered chamomile extract 0.5% powdered chamomile extract
0.5% powdered cucumber extract 0.5% powdered cucumber extract
0.5% Germall Plus liquid 1% Germaben II
Heat your distilled water to slightly over 50˚C (122˚F), and weigh into a container. Add the
rest of the slightly heated phase and mix with a fork until uniform.
You don’t want to mix it up and create too many bubbles at any phase, so it really is ideal to use a fork and
mix by hand until uniform at all phases.
When the mixture has cooled to 45˚C (113˚F) or lower, add the cool down phase
ingredients directly into the slightly heated phase, then mix until uniform. Let cool, then
pour into foamer bottles, and rejoice!
Note the di erence in the next formula: We’ve increased the temperature of the surfactant
phase and added the Phenonip to that phase.

(FORMULA WITH PHENONIP)
VERSION WITH PHENONIP
HEATED SURFACTANT PHASE (to 60˚C/140˚F to 70˚C/158˚F)
51.8% distilled water
10% Plantapon TF
10% peppermint hydrosol
10% aloe vera extract
3% glycerin
3% propanediol 1,3
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5% cocamidopropyl betaine
1% Phenonip
0.2% sodium phytate, tetrasodium EDTA, disodium EDTA
COOL DOWN PHASE (at 45˚C/113˚F)

3% green tea extract (liquid)
2% hydrolyzed quinoa protein
0.5% powdered chamomile extract
0.5% powdered cucumber extract
Heat your distilled water to 60˚C (140˚F) to 70˚C (158˚F), and weigh into a container. Add
the rest of the heated surfactant phase and mix with a fork until uniform.
ingredients directly into the slightly heated phase, then mix until uniform. Let cool, then
pour into foamer bottles, and rejoice!
I can’t stress enough that if you change the formula, you’ll have to go through this process
again and if you’ve had it challenge tested, you’ll have to go through that process again. If
you removed the powdered extracts, you’d have an easier to preserve product, which opens
up the eld for so many other preservatives.
C O U L D YO U M A K E T H I S A N A T U R A L LY C O M P L I A N T
PRODUCT?
You could make it mostly naturally compliant as Plantapon® TF is considered natural - NPA
approved - green, and very biodegradable. Cocamidopropyl betaine isn’t naturally compliant,
and you’d want use sodium phytate instead of EDTA. You’d have a 95% naturally compliant
product if you used a naturally compliant preservative.
But we’d have to make a few more changes to follow the principles of hurdle technology:
Good manufacturing processes, pH, water activity, packaging, and other anti-microbial
ingredients.
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First, we’d have to remove the hard-to-preserve powdered

extracts. We could use liquid extracts in their place or
leave them out entirely. I have a lovely liquid chamomile I
can use at 2% and a liquid cucumber extract I can use at
up to 5%, so let’s make those changes.
Second, we need to reduce the pH to lower than 5. We can

do that by adding citric acid to lower it. It’s at 5.6 right
now, but making those changes to the extracts might alter
the pH, so you’ll have to test the nal result, then adjust it
by adding 0.05% to 0.1% 50/50 citric acid/distilled water at a tine, testing in between each
addition until we reach 5 or lower. Check your preservative for its lower pH range.
As a note, I know the pH range for the Leucidal preservatives is pH 4 to 8, but we know microbial activity
is lower at pH 5 and lower, so we’ll be using that as our target pH.
We could reduce the water activity further by using more glycerin and propanediol 1,3 as
they will bind the water. Let’s use 2% more of each of these ingredients, giving us 5%.
We’re using a foamer bottle, which isn’t an airless container, but it is better protected from
air exposure, so that’s good.
Let’s see which naturally compliant preservatives we could use for this formula. We want
something broad spectrum that can handle a formula that doesn’t contain water with pH 5
or lower.
N A T U R A L LY C O M P L I A N T P R E S E R VA T I V E C O M PA R I S O N
CHART
PRESERVATIVE Surfactant pH at 5 or Water only? Broad Is it
lower spectrum suitable?
Geogard ECT (also called NeoDefend) Yes 3 to 8, best Yes No No

Benzyl Alcohol & Salicylic Acid & Glycerin & 5.5 and lower
Sorbic Acid
Geogard Ultra Yes 3 to 7 Yes Yes Yes

D-Glucono-1,5,-lactone and sodium benzoate
Leucidal Liquid Yes, non-ionic & 3 to 8 Yes No No

amphoteric
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Leucidal Liquid Advanced Aloe Yes, non-ionic & 3 to 8 Yes No No

amphoteric
Water & Leuconostoc/Aloe barbadensis Leaf/
Sorbus aucuparia Fruit Ferment Filtrate
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PRESERVATIVE Surfactant pH at 5 or Water only? Broad Is it

lower spectrum suitable?
Leucidal Liquid Complete Yes, non-ionic & 3 to 8 Yes Yes Yes

amphoteric
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate &
Lactobacillus & Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit
Extract
Leucidal SF Complete Yes, non-ionic & 3 to 8 Yes Yes Yes

amphoteric
Lactobacillus Ferment and Lactobacillus and
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract
From this list you can see we could use Geogard® Ultra, Leucidal Liquid Advanced Aloe,
Leucidal Liquid Complete, and Leucidal SF Complete. Using any of these will create a 95%
naturally compliant formula.
I need to point out that this formula is theoretical as I haven’t made this with every preservative on this
chart. This is intended as an illustration of the modi cations you could make to use these naturally
compliant preservatives.
VERSION WITH GEOGARD ULTRA VERSION WITH LEUCIDAL

PRESERVATIVES
SLIGHTLY HEATED SURFACTANT SLIGHTLY HEATED SURFACTANT
PHASE (to 60˚C/140˚F) PHASE (to 60˚C/140˚F)
40.8% distilled water 38.8% distilled water
10% Plantapon TF 10% Plantapon TF
10% peppermint hydrosol 10% peppermint hydrosol
10% aloe vera extract 10% aloe vera extract
5% glycerin 5% glycerin
5% propanediol 1,3 5% propanediol 1,3
5% cocamidopropyl betaine 5% cocamidopropyl betaine
2% Geogard Ultra
4% Leucidal Liquid Advanced Aloe,
Leucidal Liquid Complete, and Leucidal
SF Complete
0.2% sodium phytate 0.2% sodium phytate
COOL DOWN PHASE (at 45˚C/113˚F) COOL DOWN PHASE (at 45˚C/113˚F)
3% green tea extract (liquid) 3% green tea extract (liquid)
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2% hydrolyzed quinoa protein 2% hydrolyzed quinoa protein

2% liquid chamomile extract 2% liquid chamomile extract
5% liquid cucumber extract 5% liquid cucumber extract
Heat your distilled water to 60˚C (140˚F), and weigh into a container. Add the rest of the
heated surfactant phase and mix with a fork until uniform.
ingredients directly into the slightly heated phase, then mix until uniform.
Test the pH of the cleanser as per my suggestions in this section, ensuring it is adjusted to
pH 5 or below. It should start at around 5.6, so you need only a titch of 50/50 citric acid/
distilled water, start at no more than 0.1% of this mixture. Test, then adjust again, if
necessary.
Let cool, then pour into foamer bottles, and rejoice!

C H O O S I N G T H E P R E S E RVAT I V E F O R
A BASIC HAIR CONDITIONER
FORMULA
Let’s make a basic, positively charged (cationic) hair conditioner using Incroquat
BTMS-50 with a few hair-friendly ingredients, like hydrolyzed oat protein, glycerin,
polyquaternium 7, and coconut oil. This is an emulsion, like a lotion with a cationic
charge. It’ll have a heated water phase, a heated oil phase, and a cool down phase.
We’ll take a look at the formula, then run through the checklist to see which
preservatives will work best.
CREATING A BASIC HAIR CONDITIONER WITH

COCONUT OIL WITH INCROQUAT BTMS-50 (FORMUL A)
HEATED WATER PHASE

82.5-ish% distilled water This amount will alter when we add the preservative.
3% glycerin Humectant, binds water, hydrates hair and skin, water
soluble
2% hydrolyzed oat protein Film former, positively charged to be substantive to hair
and skin, water soluble
2% polyquaternium 7 Cationic (positively charged) polymer that is substantive
to hair and skin, conditions hair and skin, water soluble.
HEATED OIL PHASE

5% Incroquat BTMS-50 INCI: Behentrimonium methosulfate and cetyl alcohol
Cationic (positively charged) emulsi er that makes
lotions or hair conditioners.
5% coconut oil Non-ionic emollient, natural oil.
COOL DOWN PHASE

0.5% fragrance or essential oil Oil soluble, makes the product smell nice
preservative to be determined
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Let’s run down the check list and consider those things that’ll have an impact on our
preservative choice.
What type of product is this? This is a basic hair conditioner, an emulsion with coconut
oil as the emollient. It’s cationic or positively charged.
Which ingredients are we using? We have positively charged or cationic ingredients,

polyquaternium 7 and Incroquat BTMS-50. The emulsi er is not ethoxylated.
Does the product contain oil soluble ingredients, water soluble ingredients? It
contains oil soluble ingredients - coconut oil, fragrance/essential oil - along with water
soluble ingredients - hydrolyzed oat protein, glycerin, polyquaternium 7 - with an oil-in-
water emulsi er, Incroquat BTMS-50.
Does it contain hard-to-preserve ingredients? A wee little titch - we have 2% hydrolyzed

oat protein, which can be a bit di cult at higher percentages, but we're only using a little.
We aren't adding any botanicals to this product. This isn’t hard to preserve.
What’s the charge? This is positively charged or cationic.
What’s the pH? This formula as written has a pH of between 5 to 7. It’s simple to alter it
by adding citric acid to reduce the pH, if necessary.
What kind of packaging will we be using? This will be going into a bottle with a disc cap,
pump, or turret cap, or a Malibu/tottle bottle, all of which are better protected from air
exposure.
Given this information, which preservatives might be right for this product? (We’ll be
referring to the preservative comparison chart quite a lot for these sections…) As we work
through this chart, I’ll highlight anything that’s incompatible with our product in red to
make it easier to see those issues.
Legend: Red = nope, orange = maybe, green = yes
P R E S E RVAT I V E C O M PA R I S O N C H A R T F O R C AT I O N I C
EMULSIONS - LOTIONS & CONDITIONERS
PRESERVATIVE Cationic pH Emulsions Broad Suitable? Usage
spectrum?
range
Euxyl K 703 Yes 3 to 6 Avoid Yes Maybe, Add 0.4% to 1.2% to the
Phenoxyethanol (and) Benzoic ethoxylated check cool down phase of the
Acid (and) Dehydroacetic Acid. nal pH product at 40˚C or lower
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spectrum?
range
Euxyl K 900 Yes to pH Avoid Yes Yes 0.5% to 1% heated phase as

Benzyl Alcohol (and) 12 ethoxylated it’s heat tolerant to 100˚C
Ethylhexylglycerin (212˚F)
Euxyl K 903 Yes 3 to 6, Avoid Yes Maybe, 0.4% to 1.2% in the cool
Benzyl alcohol (and) benzoic acid 5 to 5.5 ethoxylated check down phase
(and) dihydroacetic acid best nal pH
Euxyl PE 9010 Yes 3 to 8.5 Avoid Yes Yes 0.5% to 1% mixed with
Phenoxyethanol (and) ethoxylated solvent into the heated or
Ethylhexylglycerin cool down phase.
Geogard ECT (also called Yes 3 to 8, Yes No No 1% in the cool down phase
NeoDefend) best 5.5 at 38˚C or lower.
Benzyl Alcohol & Salicylic Acid & and Naturally compliant.
Glycerin & Sorbic Acid lower
Geogard Ultra Yes 3 to 7 Yes Yes Yes 0.75% to 2% in the heated

D-Glucono-1,5,-lactone and water phase.
sodium benzoate Naturally compliant.
Germaben II Yes 3 to 7.5 Yes Yes Yes 0.5% to 1.0%

Propylene Glycol, diazolidinyl Add to the cool down
urea, ethylparaben, and phase.
propylparaben
Germall Plus, liquid Yes 3 to 8 Yes Yes Yes 0.1% to 0.5%

Propylene glycol, diazolidinyl Add to the cool down
butylcarbamate
Jeecide CAP-2 (also called Cap-2) Yes 3 to 10 Yes Yes Yes 0.5% to 1.5% for lotions in
Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, the cool down phase.
Hexylene Glycol
Jeecide CAP-5 (also called Cap-5) Yes 3 to 6.5 Yes Yes Maybe, 0.5% to 1.5% for lotions in
Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl check the cool down phase.
Glycol (and) Potassium Sorbate nal pH
Glycol
Leucidal Liquid Yes 3 to 8 Yes No No 4% at 70˚C (158˚F) or

Leuconostoc/Radish Root lower.
Ferment Filtrate Naturally compliant
Leucidal Liquid Advanced Aloe Yes 3 to 8 Yes No No 4% at 70˚C (158˚F) or

Water & Leuconostoc/Aloe lower.
barbadensis Leaf/ Naturally compliant
Sorbus aucuparia Fruit Ferment
Filtrate
Leucidal Liquid Complete Yes 3 to 8 Yes Yes Yes 4% in the cool down phase
Leuconostoc/Radish Root at 70˚C (158˚F)
Ferment Filtrate & Lactobacillus Naturally compliant
Fruit Extract
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spectrum?
range
Leucidal SF Complete Yes 3 to 8 Yes Yes Yes 4% in the cool down phase
Lactobacillus Ferment and at 70˚C (158˚F) or lower
Lactobacillus and Cocos Nucifera Naturally compliant
(Coconut) Fruit Extract
Liquipar Optima Yes 3 to 8 Yes Yes Yes 0.5% to 1% when the

Phenoxyethanol, methylparaben, product is below 80˚C.
isopropylparaben,
isobutylparaben, butylparaben.
Optiphen ND No 5 to 6 Yes Yes No 0.2% to 1.2% in any phase

Phenoxyethanol (and) Benzoic of your creation
Optiphen Plus Yes 6 and Yes Yes Maybe, 0.75% to 1% in the heated
Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl under check water phase
Glycol (and) Sorbic Acid nal pH
Phenonip Yes 3 to 8 Yes Yes Yes 0.25% to 1%

Phenoxyethanol (and) Use in the heated phase of
Methylparaben (and) your products.
Ethylparaben (and) Butylparaben
Isobutylparaben
Wow, there are so many choices here! Euxyl PE 9010, Germaben II, Germall Plus liquid,
Liquipar Optima, and Phenonip are all great choices that require little e ort to add to the
product in the appropriate phase.
If we wanted to use Euxyl K 903, Jeecide CAP-5, or Optiphen Plus, we’d need to measure
the pH to ensure it was in the right range, then alter it very slightly.
Can we use naturally compliant preservatives? Yep, Geogard® Ultra, Leucidal Liquid
Complete, Leucidal SF Complete - we’d need to follow the principles of hurdle technology,
which would mean reducing the pH below 5. Since the formula is pH 5 to 7 naturally, it
might be super easy to add a titch of 50/50 citric acid/distilled water to bring it down. We
will be using a container with a closed type lid, but we could use an airless jar, if we wanted.
(It's too thick for an airless pump.) We’d also want to add 0.2% sodium phytate to the
heated phase to boost preservation.
Let’s work through using a few of these preservatives in this formula. I’ve put in bold where
we would make changes to the instructions based on when the preservative is to be added.

COCONUT OIL WITH INCROQUAT BTMS-50 (FORMUL A
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WITH GERMABEN II, GERMALL PLUS LIQUID, LIQUIPAR

OPTIMA)
VERSION WITH VERSION WITH VERSION WITH

GERMALL PLUS LIQUID GERMABEN II LIQUIPAR OPTIMA
HEATED WATER PHASE HEATED WATER PHASE HEATED WATER PHASE
82% distilled water 81.5% distilled water 81.5% distilled water
3% glycerin 3% glycerin 3% glycerin
2% hydrolyzed oat protein 2% hydrolyzed oat protein 2% hydrolyzed oat protein
2% polyquaternium 7 2% polyquaternium 7 2% polyquaternium 7
HEATED OIL PHASE HEATED OIL PHASE HEATED OIL PHASE

5% Incroquat BTMS-50 5% Incroquat BTMS-50 5% Incroquat BTMS-50
5% coconut oil 5% coconut oil 5% coconut oil
COOL DOWN PHASE COOL DOWN PHASE COOL DOWN PHASE

0.5% fragrance or essential 0.5% fragrance or essential 0.5% fragrance or essential
oil oil oil
0.5% Germall Plus liquid 1% Germaben II 1% Liquipar Optima
INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING A LOTION WITH INCROQUAT BTMS-50 -

GERMALL PLUS LIQUID, GERMABEN II, OR LIQUIPAR OPTIMA
1. Weigh your water phase into a heat proof container and put into a double boiler.
1a. Weigh your total water phase on a scale – jug and all – so we can compensate for the lost
water before mixing. And set some water in a separate container to heat. A pot with water
on the stove or boiling up the kettle works well. You don’t need to boil it the whole time –
bring it to boiling now and you’ll have some less-than-boiling water for step 3a.
2. Weigh your oil phase into a heat proof container and put into a double boiler.
3. Heat both phases to 70˚C (158˚F) and hold for 20 minutes. This is to ensure both phases
are the same temperature when we mix them together. (This is part of the emulsi cation
process – the heating part of emulsi cation.)
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4. Measure your preservative phase - glycerin with Euxyl PE 9010 - and mix with a small
mixer until uniform. Add it to the heated water phase
5. Remember how we measured the water phase in step 1a? Measure it again – zero your
scale and measure the jug and all. Add enough of the warm water to get you to the total
weight from step 1a.
6. When both phases reach 70˚C (158˚F), pour the water phase into the oil phase in a thin
stream or the oil phase into the water phase and mix very well with a stick blender or hand
mixer (or Kitchenaid if you’re a lucky person) for about 5 minutes.
5. Set aside. When the lotion reaches 45˚C (113˚F) then add your cool down ingredients
and mix again. Just leave it to cool slowly to room temperature.
6. Allow the lotion to come to room temperature before bottling. This formula works best in
a bottle with a pump or a Malibu/tottle bottle. A piping bag or a plastic bag with the corner
cut o will make it so much easier to ll up! (As it can get quite thick, please wait 48 hours
before packaging as the cetyl alcohol can take that long to reach its full viscosity.)
7. Always label your bottle with the ingredients and date so you can replicate it or throw it
away when the shelf life expires.

COCONUT OIL WITH INCROQUAT BTMS-50 (FORMUL A
W I T H E U X Y L P E 9 010 )
HEATED WATER PHASE

81.5% distilled water
2% hydrolyzed oat protein
2% polyquaternium 7
HEATED OIL PHASE

5% Incroquat BTMS-50
5% coconut oil
PRESERVATIVE PHASE
3% glycerin
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1% Euxyl PE 9010
COOL DOWN PHASE

0.5% fragrance or essential oil
INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING A LOTION WITH INCROQUAT BTMS-50 - EUXYL

PE 9010
1. Weigh your water phase into a heat proof container and put into a double boiler.
1a. Weigh your total water phase on a scale – jug and all – so we can compensate for the lost
water before mixing. And set some water in a separate container to heat. A pot with water
on the stove or boiling up the kettle works well. You don’t need to boil it the whole time –
bring it to boiling now and you’ll have some less-than-boiling water for step 3a.
2. Weigh your oil phase into a heat proof container and put into a double boiler.
3. Heat both phases to 70˚C (158˚F) and hold for 20 minutes. This is to ensure both phases
are the same temperature when we mix them together. (This is part of the emulsi cation
process – the heating part of emulsi cation.)
4. Measure your preservative phase - glycerin with Euxyl PE 9010 - and mix with a
small mixer until uniform. Add it to the heated water phase
5. Remember how we measured the water phase in step 1a? Measure it again – zero your
scale and measure the jug and all. Add enough of the warm water to get you to the total
weight from step 1a.
6. When both phases reach 70˚C (158˚F), pour the water phase into the oil phase in a thin
stream or the oil phase into the water phase and mix very well with a stick blender or hand
mixer (or Kitchenaid if you’re a lucky person) for about 5 minutes.
7. Set aside. When the lotion reaches 45˚C (113˚F) then add your cool down ingredients
and mix again. Just leave it to cool slowly to room temperature.
8. Allow the lotion to come to room temperature before bottling. This formula works best in
a bottle with a pump or a Malibu/tottle bottle. A piping bag or a plastic bag with the corner
cut o will make it so much easier to ll up! (As it can get quite thick, please wait 48 hours
before packaging as the cetyl alcohol can take that long to reach its full viscosity.)
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fi
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9. Always label your bottle with the ingredients and date so you can replicate it or throw it
away when the shelf life expires.
CONCLUSION
Wow, that was a much longer e-book than I had planned, but I really wanted to share
everything I know about the fundamentals of formulating with preservatives. I hope this e-
book has given you a solid foundation to make great choices about the preservatives you’ll
be using in your products.
If you have a suggestion for a formula you’d like to see, please feel free to write to me at
swiftcraftymonkey@swiftcraftymonkey.blog and make some suggestions!
MY BLOG, POINT OF INTEREST
I encourage you to check out my blog for information on the ingredients you’ve seen in this
e-zine. I’ve tried to link to some of those things, but I know at some point in time the links
will get all wonky and people will get mad at me because they don’t work, and that’ll cause
me a whole lot of stress, so I ask you to take a quick trip to the blog, Point of Interest, found
at http://swiftcraftymonkey.blog and see what you can nd there! (After all, look what
happened recently when Dropbox decided its users couldn’t create public links and
hundreds of links on my blogs to the PDFs were lost!)
T H A N K YO U T O M Y A M A Z I N G S U B S C R I B E R S
Every month I say it and every month I mean it – thank you for subscribing to make this e-
zine possible! Please continue to share your thoughts for future e-zines and feedback on
current ones.
HOW TO CONTACT ME
You can reach me at swiftcraftymonkey@swiftcraftymonkey.blog to let me know what you

think. Give me your thoughts, suggestions, criticisms, and more. As I always say, I can only
get better by knowing what you think and what I can write about on the blog.
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CONTAMINATION HORROR AT THE

E N D … YO U H AV E B E E N WA R N E D !

Big Book of Preservatives Part One Fundamentals and Formulating

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Big Book of Preservatives Part One Fundamentals and Formulating

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Beyond E-wax, part two 1

Susan Barclay Nichols

THE BIG BOOK

GENERAL NOTES ON MAKING PRODUCTS .....................................................6

QUICK NOTE ON ELECTRICAL CHARGES .................................................................8

WHICH CONTAMINANTS CAN GET INTO MY FORMULAS? ...................................16

BENZYL ALCOHOL .................................................................................................20

DISC CAP ...............................................................................................................29

GOOD MANUFACTURING PROCESSES..................................................................35

WATER ACTIVITY ....................................................................................................36

PRODUCTS THAT CONTAIN WATER?..............................................................39

why AND WHERE TO HAVE YOUR PRODUCTS PRESERVATIVE CHALLENGE

PRESERVATIVE COMPARISON CHART ...........................................................44

HOW TO CHOOSE A PRESERVATIVE ..............................................................46

CHECKLIST FOR CHOOSING A PRESERVATIVE .......................................................46

PRESERVATIVE FOR A FOAMING FACIAL CLEANSER ......................................48

CREATING A BASIC HAIR CONDITIONER WITH COCONUT OIL WITH INCROQUAT

CREATING A BASIC HAIR CONDITIONER WITH COCONUT OIL WITH INCROQUAT

MY BLOG, POINT OF INTEREST ..............................................................................66

Written by Susan Barclay Nichols, better known as SwiftCraftyMonkey, blogger and

In this e-book and the next, we’ll be meeting a variety of

GENERAL NOTES ON MAKING

What’s the INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients)? The INCI is

QUICK NOTE ON ELECTRICAL

Non-ionic means it has a neutral charge.

Anionic means it has a negative charge.

Cationic means it has a positive charge.

MEASURIN G, TESTIN G, AND ADJUSTIN G PH

You can nd plastic strips that have two, three, or four

To test the pH using strips, remove a bit of the liquid -

We’ll make a 10% solution of the product and it must cover

Place the meter in the solution, swish it around to remove

If you’re happy with the pH, rejoice!

To increase the pH or make it more alkaline, make up a solution of 18% sodium

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT

What isn’t a preservative? Anti-oxidants, like Vitamin E, T-50 mixed tocopherols,

Can I use a “natural” preservative in my product? There’s no truly natural preservative

What does it mean to be a formaldehyde releaser or donor? Preservatives come in two

What’s a paraben? These are a type of preservatives called para-hydroxybenzoic acids.

has more information – Fear Of Parabens Compromises Safety Of Certain Cosmetic

These formulas aren’t suitable for naturally compliant or non-traditional preservatives as

Parabens are sensitive to various cellulose derivatives, including methylcellulose; gelatin;

Phenoxyethanol sees reduced e cacy with methylcellulose, sodium carboxymethylcellulose,

What does it mean if a preservative isn’t compatible with ethoxylated surfactants?

WHIC H CONTAMINANTS C AN GET INTO MY

includes staphylococcus, enterococcus, listeria, and

Gram negative bacteria: These are bacteria that turn red

Fungus: Yes, there just might be a fungus among us! Fungi

If the preservative is heat tolerant, you can add it to a heated

If the preservative is oil soluble, it’s generally added to the oil

This is an aromatic alcohol with a sweet aroma that works

An organic acid that works as a fungicidal and low bactericidal that

Found in Euxyl® K703 and Optiphen ND.

Ethylhexylglycerin is an alkyl glycerol ether

“…ethylhexylglycerin is a medium spreading emollient. The emolliency character is based

It “…reportedly inhibits the growth and multiplication of odor-causing bacteria and

It’s slightly soluble in water – 0.1% or so – and only sparingly

Ethylhexylglycerin: a low-risk, but highly relevant, sensitizer in ‘hypo-allergenic’ cosmetics.

Safety assessment of alkyl glyceryl ethers

Technical sheet for Ethylhexylglycerin

Imidiazolidinyl and diazolidinyl urea

IMIDIAZOLIDINYL AND DIAZOLIDINYL UREA

Imidiazolidinyl urea is one of the most common

Imidiazolidinyl urea is approved at up to 0.6% in the EU and 0.3% in Japan.