Anyone making and especially anyone selling lotions please have your lotions plate tested at the very least and challenged tested if they are milk lotions or heavy in protein lotions. Proteins are the hardest to preserve even for Phenonip. You simply cannot tell by looking at a lotion if it is safe or not. I have mentioned before I use the kits when working on new lotions and wait until they come out clear then send into a lab for testing. I have had lotions that look and smell perfect grow all colors of ugly molds with fresh kits. Yes, I know the kits are not totally reliable but I will not waste my money if they are not clear before sending it into the lab. So far any lotion I have sent out after my home test has come back safe from the lab.
Optiphen has been my biggest failing preservative on its own for my formulas, but in combination with another preservative it works. Also, not all preservatives work with all emulsifiers, so you need to do your research. So do not depend on just one across the board. I use two preservatives in my lotions and do not make milk lotions nor use a lot of proteins. I just have an aversion to smearing milk on my skin. Just me...
Remember Big Box companies have labs and chemists for testing and producing their products so the products are fully tested, or we can only hope they are. As small handmade product makers, most of us are not chemists and do not have the equipment or knowledge to do the testing.
I might mention, with my skin problems, I am very afraid of just using a lotion I know nothing about. Plus my sister, the one I am having problems made a comment to a family member, that she thinks I killed my step-dad with my lavender lotion I used on his legs. This is why you need to have your lotions tested! Of course, this is the other long sordid tale but it proves my point.
