Preservatives

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

nanzclaire

Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2015
Messages
22
Reaction score
1
Hi all,

I am trying to make everything with all natural or natural deprived ingredients. I am currently looking for a workable and efficient preservative that is natural! I honestly googled many times and all I found most is LGP or GP .

Any better ideas?

Cheers!
 
There are currently no all natural (not that "all natural" has an industry definition) preservatives out there. There are some that are better than others (non-paraben, eco-cert and so on) but nothing totally natural.

1% of my lotion being a non-natural substance is not actually that bad - when you consider that the alternative is shelf-life being calculated in weeks not months and it having to be kept chilled and so on. Otherwise you'll end up smearing all-natural mould all over yourself :sick::sick:
 
Cheers The EG! Can you give me some suggestions on which Eco-very preservatives would you recommend ?

X
 
You don't need to read very far before running into the ongoing back-and-forth debate about whether or not preservatives are needed in liquid soap, with very intelligent, science-credentialed people standing on different sides of the fence.

Although I use a preservative system in my lotion (Phenonip in conjunction with Tetrasodium EDTA), I don't use any in my liquid soap. I've read plenty on both sides of the debate, and since I don't sell, I have chosen to err on the side of using none.

I should mention, though, that I do use Tetrasodium EDTA in my liquid soap (to combat hard water issues). Although it's not a preservative, by the way, and it won't actively kill bacteria/molds/fungi, I thought I'd mention it because it does happen to help in somewhat of a more clandestine way by starving those things of their food so that's it's more difficult for them to multiply.

Here's a discussion that helped me greatly in making my decision to forego using a preservative in my liquid soap (start at post #997 by SilverDoctor): http://www.thedishforum.com/forum/i...7-glycerin-method-liquid-soap/page-40?hl=edta

Again- I want to mention that I don't sell. If I did, though, I would use one because it's a good thing to have all your bases covered just in case, and I would use Liquid Germall Plus since it works in all levels of pH. Several preservatives don't, by the way, so you have to be mindful of that.

Also, some preservatives are rendered ineffective by certain ingredients such as polysorbates, etc.., so if you use those in your formula to help emulsify superfats or FOs in your liquid soap (as I do), you need to be mindful of that, too.


IrishLass :)
 
Last edited:
Just throwing in another tidbit of info... You also need to be careful with the temperature of the products that you're adding the preservatives to. I use Optiphen Plus in my lotion, and it will be rendered ineffective if used over 176 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course, Optiphen is used in products with a much lower pH than liquid soap, but it's something to keep in mind when choosing a preservative.
 
I am with IrishLass, I don't use preservatives because I don't sell. I currently have a small bottle of my first liquid soap. It is 2 years old, and has no sign of any pathogen growth. I checked it under a microscope not too long ago, maybe a few months. I will check again in a few.
 
Hi guys! Thanks for the responses!

I will still find a better preservative system as I do want to develop this into my business and even so, need it for cream and lotion etc too!

But I do hope it will have a system that as natural as possible!

Xx
 
I suggest you read Lindy's post on LS/Cream Soap and preservatives. I now use preservatives in my cream soap and liquid soap. You may not be able to see mold or bacteria in your liquid soap, but if tested you might be surprised. I have had mold on cream soap that did not contain preservatives. JMO:smile:
 
I use Eco-Cert NeoDefend from LotionCrafter in my lotions and creams, but never in conjunction with Vitamin C or citric acid in my serums due to concerns about the formation of benzene. I don't sell any of these, just for myself, family and a couple of good friends.
 
Last edited:
I suggest you read Lindy's post on LS/Cream Soap and preservatives. I now use preservatives in my cream soap and liquid soap. You may not be able to see mold or bacteria in your liquid soap, but if tested you might be surprised. I have had mold on cream soap that did not contain preservatives. JMO:smile:
I have also had visible mold on un-preserved cream soap and once with ls so I can imagine what else was there. That was enough for me to start preserving with Germall Plus
 
Paillo, I searched the NeoDefend and it said only for ph3-6!as you mentioned you avoid using citric acid , how would it work as shouldn't normal liquid soap in range of pH 9-10ish? Thanks in advance for any reply!

And knowing more about Germall plus, how harmful is it and actually can it work well alone or need to build up a system ?

Again thanks guys! ;)
 
Paillo, I searched the NeoDefend and it said only for ph3-6!as you mentioned you avoid using citric acid , how would it work as shouldn't normal liquid soap in range of pH 9-10ish? Thanks in advance for any reply!

You'll definitely want to be mindful of which preservative you choose to use for lye-based liquid soap, since the pH is on the alkaline side- normally around 9 to 10.5.

Liquid Germall Plus would work much better for you in your liquid soap because it works in a much wider range of pH, including the higher pH of liquid soaps. If the NeoDefend only works in a pH range of 3 and 6, it will be useless in your liquid soap.


IrishLass :)
 
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!
 
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!

You will need different preservatives for different products. What works in one type of product will not work in another.

As TEG stated there is no Nature (natural) preservatives. Besides, I would prefer to have a small % of a good preservative than a large % of ickies in my product.
 
I'm new to liquid soap making and I looked at the liquid Germall Plus, the pH range is 3-8 while liquid soap is 9-10. Would this preservative still work? I used pH strips on my first batch of liquid soap and it seems to be a 9. I like that Germall plus is paraben free but is there another preservative with a wider pH range? Thanks.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top