I am confused; when making syndet shampoo bars and solid conditioner bars, what is the best preservative to use. I have seen some use Phenonip and others use Liquid Germall Plus. Can either one of these be used, or is one better than the other?
Preservative Question
- Thread starter ronrho56
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I am no wiz when it comes to preservatives but I generally check to see if they will work in my product's pH range and whether they cover a broad spectrum. Benefits of Phenonip ® • Broad spectrum activity; effective against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, yeasts and moulds. • Readily incorporated into formulations. • Retains activity over the range pH 3.0 - 8.0. • Liquid Germall Plus seems to be the prefered preservative in most syndet recipes. Liquid Germall Plus is effective over a broad pH range from 3-8 and is also a broad spectrum preservative. Since they both seem to have equal properties check to see how much your recipe would require of each and the cost and choose based on that.
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The tutorials for syndet bars that I have seen add no preservative. I just posted a tutorial from Soaping101. She adds no water to her recipe and adds no preservative.
Preservative is a must in syndet shampoo bars, since the ph is not high enough to stop the ickies from growing, at least that is how I feel about it. Phenonip is the easiest to work with in Syndet bars because it can be used at higher heat than Liquid Germall Plus but I do think a water soluble such as LGP could be better. Problem with LGP is having to wait for the batter to cool down and mixing the LGP in thick batter.
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Cellador
Well-Known Member
It can also depend on your recipe. Phenonip can be ineffective if mixed with Polysorbates 20 or 80 and ceteareth 20. Make sure to check your ingredients.
I have not seen any syndet recipes using the above ingredients...do you use these in yours?
Cellador
Well-Known Member
No, I don't. But if you use an emulsifier, some of them have those ingredients as part of the composition. It never hurts to check
CherylMoore
Active Member
I purchased https://swiftcraftymonkey.blog/preservatives/ "Shampoo Bars You Will Love" and have made many of her recipes. It's a lot of information with so many helpful tips. Yes, Germall Plus in all of her recipes. Water plus anything should have preservative.
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