Preservatives for Scrubs, body wash etc.

[user 60597]

Hello Everyone,
I'm newer to all things bath and body. I have been doing countless hours of research on the perfect scrub formulation and thanks to a lot of people like you, it's coming along well besides the pounds of test scrubs everywhere in my workroom lol. I have a question on preservatives. In all the formulations I have found and made, they all include a preservative and I put them in. But, looking a few"big guys" (not inexpensive) online, I notice a few companies do not have preservatives listed on the ingredients. One company has vitamin E and honey and the other lists rosemary extract. These products are well known and sold nationwide. I guess my question is, aren't preservatives required to sell? From what I have read, those things are NOT preservatives but just help the oils from not going rancid. I just wondered if anyone had any input. Thanks

 

[paradisi]

You as manufacturer have the responsibility of making a safe product; realize too that the "big guys" both have dedicated facilities & teams for sanitation... and may be using a preservative that can be somewhat disguised as "fragrance"... or lying on the ingredients list. Or getting recalls for contaminated product.

You wouldn't want to take those chances with your customers, or your business, or its reputation , would you?

 

[user 60597]

You as manufacturer have the responsibility of making a safe product; realize too that the "big guys" both have dedicated facilities & teams for sanitation... and may be using a preservative that can be somewhat disguised as "fragrance"... or lying on the ingredients list. Or getting recalls for contaminated product.

You wouldn't want to take those chances with your customers, or your business, or its reputation , would you?

No! Not al all. I will always use a preservative, selling or just gifting. I was just confused seeing this or lack of on an ingredients listing.

 

[paradisi]

No! Not al all. I will always use a preservative, selling or just gifting. I was just confused seeing this or lack of on an ingredients listing.

A good place to read up on preservation and a lot more, with guidance by cosmetic chemists working in the field, internationally, is

https://chemistscorner.com/cosmeticsciencetalk/forum/general/

 

[user 60597]

A good place to read up on preservation and a lot more, with guidance by cosmetic chemists working in the field, internationally, is

https://chemistscorner.com/cosmeticsciencetalk/forum/general/

Thanks so much, just signed up.

 

[lsg]

I use liquid Germall Plus for most of my water based formulations. IMO, Phenonip is a good choice for anhydrous formulations.

 

[not_ally]

I also use Germall and Phenonip. Although with all the hullabaloo about parabens - even though I think they are fine in the quantities in which we use them in B&B - I admit that I broke down and bought some Optiphen Plus (rather than Pheno) for my Christmas gift making just because of the labels.

Don’t even get me started on people who chow down on bacon but won’t use soap made with lard.

 

[Misschief]

One reason you may not be seeing a preservative is that anhydrous formulas (those which don't have water in them) don't necessarily need one. However, knowing that they're used in a damp environment, with (probably) wet fingers, a preservative is generally a good idea.

 

[AliensrReal]

I use Optiohen Plus. Works well for me.

 

[Kcryss]

I use Euxyl PE 9010