Preservatives

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The official instructions for Germall Plus do indeed say it is only effective up to pH 8. Off-label advice from cosmetic chemists experienced with Germall Plus say the preservative is effective to pH 11. That is the basis for using Germall Plus in diluted liquid soap.
 
Natural

But liquid Germall plus isn't nature?! And can it be used alone or need to match a system ?

I want to have a preservatives that good for face wash, body lotions, creams and liquid soap!

Thanks guys again!

Hi, im into natural too, I make medicated herbal creams and ointments, also liquid soap. Most people use Benzoin essential oil or tincture as a preservative in most natural products and I use a few drops of it in liquid soap. I use the 'Julia Lawless Aqua Oleum Benzoin ' as it is diluted in a 40% castor oil (Benzoin is a tree sap hard resin undiluted). Be careful tho a lot of other companies use chemicals and propyl alcohol to dilute which you don't want!!

I started making my own due to having a lot of benzoin resin for incense, I broke the resin down and added it to a jar and topped it up with virgin olive oil, I shake the contents every time i see it in the kitchen cupboard, its been a year now so will start using it soon in all my products.

I think that's as natural as your going to get and hope it helps.
 
Hi,
concerning Germall plus a lot of you use as preservative, I would like to quote some alarming info from another site, and also share the links to the page and another relevant site.
Quote from : (link 1)
http://www.skincaretalk.com/showthread.php/13212-AVOID!Germall-Plus-Germall-II-and-Germal-115

"AVOID!Germall Plus, Germall II and Germal 115
Watch out for these: Germall Plus, Germall II and Germal 115 (preservatives), when making your lotion.
I constantly find claims that they are safe in homemade lotions all over the place. They are the main cause of eczema and contact dermatitis in skin care products (according to the American Academy of Dermatology). According to this very informative web site again >>>cosmeticsdatabase.com<<<, this product has the ingredient DIAZOLIDINYL UREA, sometimes just called Urea (as well as others not quite as bad), which has been linked to cancer and a LIST OF EFFECTS AND HAZARDS TOO LONG for me to list here in the areas of- cancer, neurotoxicity, organ system toxicity, reproductive toxicity, skin irritant, penetration enhancer, and cosmetic restrictions in other countries.
This ingredient contains government warnings that it is hazardous, yet time and time again I find web sites selling this product as- safe for homemade and natural creations, so even the people buying them who don't do their homework think they are doing the world a service with their homemade lotions and soaps and they are not".

There is more to the post, and 'Ko6kin' can back up her findings and finishes with this statement:
"This information is a report based on years of research. I encourage your own investigation into this matter. It's important for us all to stay up to date".

(Link 2): www.cosmeticsdatabase.com
 
Every substance on Earth causes bad reactions in some people - including sunlight and water. So yes, there are probably people who react badly to preservatives. Those folks probably need to avoid products with water (like lotion), or use a refrigerated lotion in small batches.

Unless you are refrigerating or using your lotion up in a week or so, preservatives are not optional. Lotion is a BREEDING GROUND for mold and bacteria.

https://tikibarsoap.com/single-oil-lotion-swap-and-the-importance-of-preservatives-in-lotion/

You may not want to use Germall. Check out Swiftcraftymonkey to learn more about other options, including Optiphen or Phenonip. Or you can make oil-only products that are much much less bacteria friendly.
 
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Hi, im into natural too, I make medicated herbal creams and ointments, also liquid soap. Most people use Benzoin essential oil or tincture as a preservative in most natural products and I use a few drops of it in liquid soap. I use the 'Julia Lawless Aqua Oleum Benzoin ' as it is diluted in a 40% castor oil (Benzoin is a tree sap hard resin undiluted). Be careful tho a lot of other companies use chemicals and propyl alcohol to dilute which you don't want!!

I started making my own due to having a lot of benzoin resin for incense, I broke the resin down and added it to a jar and topped it up with virgin olive oil, I shake the contents every time i see it in the kitchen cupboard, its been a year now so will start using it soon in all my products.

I think that's as natural as your going to get and hope it helps.
I hope you are not planning on selling or advertising balms as medicated. It is against the FDA in the US, and will nullify your insurance in some cases, I not sure about Europe, but they are more stringent than us. Benzoin is not going to keep an emulsified lotion bug free. Hopefully you are making anhydrous products. (no water).
 
I agree with Dixie and Carolyn.

Furthermore, cosmeticsdatabase.com is "EWG's Skin Deep" website. EWG is famous for taking a legitimate fact and blowing it way out of proportion to promote their alarmist agenda and drum up donations. When information is quoted from peer-reviewed scientific studies or from reputable sources such as the National Institute of Health, then I take these concerns a lot more seriously.

It is unarguably true that diazolidinyl urea functions as a preservative by releasing trace amounts of formaldehyde. But wait ... if this is so bad, then one shouldn't eat apples or pears either! The dose of formaldehyde a person ingests by eating one apple is roughly equivalent to the formaldehyde released from shampooing with a product correctly preserved with LGP or other formaldehyde-releasing preservative. And arguably the person receives a larger dose of formaldehyde from the apple since it is swallowed, while the shampoo gets largely rinsed down the drain.
 
I hope you are not planning on selling or advertising balms as medicated. It is against the FDA in the US, and will nullify your insurance in some cases, I not sure about Europe, but they are more stringent than us. Benzoin is not going to keep an emulsified lotion bug free. Hopefully you are making anhydrous products. (no water).
LOL god no i don't sell and know the s**t id be in if was & labeled medicine, I do make vodka based tinctures which are remedies for friends when requested, they supply the ingredients & ill do the rest , and by medicated i mean the basics for burns, skin conditions and cuts, bruises aches and pains.
I don't use water, just beeswax, lanolin and glycerine, the benzoin gives a longer shelf life, all i know is it works for me and obviously others who recommend it.
 
I agree with Dixie and Carolyn.

Furthermore, cosmeticsdatabase.com is "EWG's Skin Deep" website. EWG is famous for taking a legitimate fact and blowing it way out of proportion to promote their alarmist agenda and drum up donations. When information is quoted from peer-reviewed scientific studies or from reputable sources such as the National Institute of Health, then I take these concerns a lot more seriously.

It is unarguably true that diazolidinyl urea functions as a preservative by releasing trace amounts of formaldehyde. But wait ... if this is so bad, then one shouldn't eat apples or pears either! The dose of formaldehyde a person ingests by eating one apple is roughly equivalent to the formaldehyde released from shampooing with a product correctly preserved with LGP or other formaldehyde-releasing preservative. And arguably the person receives a larger dose of formaldehyde from the apple since it is swallowed, while the shampoo gets largely rinsed down the drain.

Jesus christ formaldehyde!! please dont even go there. The system is corrupt and we are being poisoned by everything, its stated on the labels, read and research every ingredient, I don't take advice from profit making companies, there are plenty of neutral info sites who know what they are on about and not trying to profit ( info gained from those who profit from the product you seek advice on is absurd-just as absurd as the FDA who allow in absolutely every food product aspartame!! next your tell me im crazy and its safe!

No chemical is good no matter how small the quantity due to the fact that from food to cosmetics and toilet cleaner etc 'its only a little' but all these little's adds up thru the day / week / month....
We are organic beings..We need organic products (organic means NO CHEMICALS just like years ago - a veg garden thats laced from the beginning with chemicals will then produce veg that has traces of those chemicals in every cell) If we were synthetic beings I would understand but we are not.

I did not intend to put anyones nose out of joint which is why i inputted that post without my views but as a vital piece of information so EVERY ONE is privvy to the info to make an informed choice and can then -like it states - 'please research it for yourselves'. Please tho do not tell me chemicals are ok, they are not.
 
My nose is not out of joint -- I'm actually rather amused that you would think so. There are two points of importance here --

First, EWG is not a reputable nor reliable source for unbiased information.

Second, as with most of life you have to put the facts about this preservative in realistic perspective.

If peer-reviewed scientific studies and other reputable sources are too suspect and biased for you, then suit yourself as to where you want to get your information. But when you BOLD and HIGHLIGHT a collection of statements and cite EWG ... you should expect a skeptical reception.
 
Can also specify what is a chemical and what isn't? I consider all things to be a chemical in some way. If these sorts of sources are classing only "bad chemicals" as actually being chemicals then of course they are saying that all chemicals are "bad".

The fact that you have researched and don't make that distinction makes me think about your sources with a little bit less favour, I have to say. I'm assuming the sources are dodgy rather than your interpretation of their findings
 
Jesus christ formaldehyde!! please dont even go there. The system is corrupt and we are being poisoned by everything, its stated on the labels, read and research every ingredient, I don't take advice from profit making companies, there are plenty of neutral info sites who know what they are on about and not trying to profit ( info gained from those who profit from the product you seek advice on is absurd-just as absurd as the FDA who allow in absolutely every food product aspartame!! next your tell me im crazy and its safe!

No chemical is good no matter how small the quantity due to the fact that from food to cosmetics and toilet cleaner etc 'its only a little' but all these little's adds up thru the day / week / month....
We are organic beings..We need organic products (organic means NO CHEMICALS just like years ago - a veg garden thats laced from the beginning with chemicals will then produce veg that has traces of those chemicals in every cell) If we were synthetic beings I would understand but we are not.

I did not intend to put anyones nose out of joint which is why i inputted that post without my views but as a vital piece of information so EVERY ONE is privvy to the info to make an informed choice and can then -like it states - 'please research it for yourselves'. Please tho do not tell me chemicals are ok, they are not.

I'm going to just say this straight and risk a warning- That's just a load of crock. EVERYTHING is made up of chemicals, right down to organic foods and the essential oils everyone loves to rave about while conveniently forgetting that they can be just as dangerous, if not more so, than synthetic fragrance oils.

I used to follow those websites but then, sometime after I turned 25, I started having a look at those sites and thought about their wording and how propaganda works. Even more research lead me to see that the very "chemicals" I was shunning were actually more beneficial to me and mine than some of the natural things, that quite frankly, irritated my skin more.
 
I'm going to just say this straight and risk a warning- That's just a load of crock. EVERYTHING is made up of chemicals, right down to organic foods and the essential oils everyone loves to rave about while conveniently forgetting that they can be just as dangerous, if not more so, than synthetic fragrance oils.

I used to follow those websites but then, sometime after I turned 25, I started having a look at those sites and thought about their wording and how propaganda works. Even more research lead me to see that the very "chemicals" I was shunning were actually more beneficial to me and mine than some of the natural things, that quite frankly, irritated my skin more.

Not only that, but the skin does NOT absorb everything! I used to be a semi-believer of the mommy blogs and such - until I took college level biology and physiology. The body has a marvelous way of protecting itself, even with the things that do make it into the bloodstream.

One simple way to reduce your exposure to unwanted chemicals is simply use less, buy less, and only buy foodstuffs stored in glass.

It takes tons of dedicated research to sort through the science. I'm lazy, and would prefer to have some website do the work for me. However, you'll never know if they were thorough enough until you do your own - and dig deeper than you ever thought you had to.

I've made hydrous and anhydrous skin care without preservatives, and with inadequate preservatives. I've seen how ugly it gets. I've also experienced a stubborn "hmmm, let's test this for MRSA" skin infection requiring several different types of antibiotics to kill it.

Preservatives are my friends.

I now mostly buy my lotions from reputable companies who have the money to challenge test their products. Even when I do make my own, I keep it in a pump bottle, and any extra is stored in the 'fridge and tossed after 30 days.
 

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