Lip Gloss Problem

[miaevelyn0321]

Hello, I have made several lips glosses for myself over the past 5 months. The newest ones I’ve made have a pink circles in them. I thought they were mold or mildew but I’m really not sure. They haven’t been made any differently than ones I’ve made back in February, and those are all fine. Has any one seen this before and know how to stop it?

 

[earlene]

There are some micro organisms that produce a pink color. Staph aureus is one of those, but not the only one. How are you sterilizing/sanitizing your equipment? That would be my first suspect - contamination of equipment.

Personally, if and when I see pink growth (usually they are a bit hazy around the edges) in a cosmetic product (or sometimes I see it in food as well), I toss it because I prefer not to take chances with my health. You must decide for yourself if you would risk using these, but I would definitely not use them myself and would never give them to another person.

 

[miaevelyn0321]

There are some micro organisms that produce a pink color. Staph aureus is one of those, but not the only one. How are you sterilizing/sanitizing your equipment? That would be my first suspect - contamination of equipment.

Personally, if and when I see pink growth (usually they are a bit hazy around the edges) in a cosmetic product (or sometimes I see it in food as well), I toss it because I prefer not to take chances with my health. You must decide for yourself if you would risk using these, but I would definitely not use them myself and would never give them to another person.

Thank you so much! I washed everything with soap and water and let it air dry after banging the water out of the tubes. I will change how I sterilize them and see if that works!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

How are you sterilizing/sanitizing your equipment?

I had the same thought -- only about the containers rather than equipment. They could have arrived that way from the supplier. Have you bought new ones since February? If "yes", then there's your answer.

 

[justjacqui]

I would suggest that it is microbial contamination as well. Only testing will confirm. Some fragrances can also turn pink over time. Since this is just a small area it would suggest microbial contamination over a fragrance issue as that would likely effect the whole product.

Do not wash your tubes out with water as it is almost impossible to get them completely dry. Microorganisms love water.

If they are not clean when you receive them from your supplier use ethanol or similar to rinse. Or change suppliers.

If your formula contains any water or water soluble ingredients you might want to look into a preservative.

 

[miaevelyn0321]

I had the same thought -- only about the containers rather than equipment. They could have arrived that way from the supplier. Have you bought new ones since February? If "yes", then there's your answer.

Yes I’ve bought new containers since t February. These were all new containers. Thank you!

 

[earlene]

Always clean new containers prior to use, but as was stated soap and water is not the preferred method for preventing microbes from growing inside containers in which products touching mucous membranes (the inner part of your lips) or really any cosmetic product.

See this thread: Best Practices to Sterlize Containers
I concur with the Star San recommendation. Or you can also spray with 70% isopropyl alcohol and let it air-dry. Another method we used to clean CPR equipment between use was to soak in 10% bleach solution for 10 minutes, then allow to air dry. (I was a CPR instructor for a number of years & this was the American Heart Association's guidelines to prevent cross contamination between students.)

 

[miaevelyn0321]

I would suggest that it is microbial contamination as well. Only testing will confirm. Some fragrances can also turn pink over time. Since this is just a small area it would suggest microbial contamination over a fragrance issue as that would likely effect the whole product.

Do not wash your tubes out with water as it is almost impossible to get them completely dry. Microorganisms love water.

If they are not clean when you receive them from your supplier use ethanol or similar to rinse. Or change suppliers.

If your formula contains any water or water soluble ingredients you might want to look into a preservative.

Thank you! I will try that rinse method.

 

[miaevelyn0321]

Always clean new containers prior to use, but as was stated soap and water is not the preferred method for preventing microbes from growing inside containers in which products touching mucous membranes (the inner part of your lips) or really any cosmetic product.

See this thread: Best Practices to Sterlize Containers
I concur with the Star San recommendation. Or you can also spray with 70% isopropyl alcohol and let it air-dry. Another method we used to clean CPR equipment between use was to soak in 10% bleach solution for 10 minutes, then allow to air dry. (I was a CPR instructor for a number of years & this was the American Heart Association's guidelines to prevent cross contamination between students.)

Thank you! I have picked up some alcohol for the cleaning process and will give that a try.