34 PRESERVATIVES
perspective but from a formulation one too. For example, there are preservatives that get bound into a product and are not then available to carry out their job. In this instance, the preservative may no longer be bioavailable. In essence, this means it is not active and will not work – i.e. there will be no preservation.
Are natural and vegan preservatives the answer? The natural and vegan section of the market may help to ease the issue of preservative sensitivity and bans. Since they are not vegan and/or natural, the most commonly used preservatives are simply not available for use. On the other hand, there are only around
12 preservatives available for a water miscible neutral pH natural/vegan cosmetic. Due to this very limited number, the exposure to these preservatives is likely to be high. It is also important to note that ten of these 12 are restricted or under scrutiny. Out of all the possible preservatives natural
and vegan products can contain, the ones most commonly used are organic acids. The main issue with these preservatives is they are only active at pH levels below 5. Dehydroacetic acid can operate at levels slightly higher, but ultimately, they all require an acidic pH to function with a peak around 4.2. A common mistake we have observed is when
brands do not consider the pH of their products throughout the full manufacturing process, for example, if they have developed a product with a final pH around 5-5.2. The issue here is that the preservative is then added prior to a stage where the pH of the product increases for a short period. The result is that the acidic preservative is deactivated and will not function efficiently even when the product formulation has dropped back to its normal level. Therefore, it is a good idea to take into account the pH fluctuations throughout the complete cycle. In doing so, brands can save both a lot of time and money!
No preservatives required In many cases, natural and vegan cosmetics and products do not need to use preservatives at all! As the market has evolved, so too have the preservation techniques. Many products on the market today are
preserved using specially designed packaging, like airless pumps, for example. Airless technology ensures that the product inside is protected from degradation (mainly oxidation), which increases its shelf life and enables multi-use. It is also worth noting that it has the same impact on the environment as ‘normal packaging’ when you compare single use versus the ratio of packaging to increased formula. The other popular way of preserving cosmetics, without using actual preservative ingredients, is to harness the physiochemical factors of the formula that naturally occur within products. The most common physiochemical factor utilised is low water activity. Products that do not have water added to them tend to fall into this category and this can range from powder compacts, to oil treatments, serums, and emulsions. What is more, these types of cosmetics are still covered by the Cosmetic Regulation, as it allows for products to remain safe
PERSONAL CARE May 2021
without containing a chemical preservative. A third way the natural and vegan market
preserves their products is by using ingredients that are already natural preservatives or have preservation as a secondary function. Tea tree, turmeric, or gluconolactone are all good examples of this – the latter being a staple for most of the natural products we have tested over the past few years.
Testing preservative efficacy The ‘Preservative Efficacy Test’ or ‘Challenge Test’ is a cornerstone of product safety and is a requirement for most products before they can be sold. In the UK and across Europe, cosmetic products are covered by robust safety legislation to ensure human safety and to protect consumers from misleading claims concerning efficacy and other characteristics of cosmetic products. European Union (EU) regulations (specifically
Cosmetic Regulation 1223/2009) dictate that every cosmetic or personal care product placed on the EU market must have a Cosmetic Product Safety Report (CPSR). This involves products undergoing a ‘Preservative Efficacy or Challenge Test (ISO 11930)’ to ensure their microbiological quality, establishing that their preservative system can withstand microbial contamination during its shelf life and once in use for a limited period of time (PAO/expiry date). UK legislation, which came into force on 1 January 2021, mirrors these strict laws. As consumers use products, they
introduce microorganisms which, if the preservative system is not effective, can result in contamination, spoilage, and risk consumer safety. The challenge test mimics this contamination by introducing a known number of micro-organisms into the product to ‘challenge’ the preservative system. This routine regulatory microbiology testing is performed using a variety of dehydrated culture media, which all have different properties, functions, and nutritional benefits. At various points during the testing, the number of these microorganisms remaining are counted and the product must meet an appropriate standard in order to pass. However, for brands and manufacturers of
vegan cosmetics, assuring the microbiological safety of products without compromising
their vegan ethics, can be a challenge. Efficacy tests usually rely on standard culture media and neutralisers, which originate from animal by-products. That is why we developed VeganSure®. This unique and pioneering testing solution replaces all animal-derived ingredients with plant-based or synthetic alternatives, such as papaya-derived enzymes, soya bean, sugars from potatoes, cornmeal, and plant peptones. It is performed in an ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accredited testing laboratory with separate workflows are ensured to avoid cross- contamination and is registered with The Vegan Society’s Trademark.
Time for a new preservative? On the face of it, the cosmetic industry does not have an urgent need for a new preservative. The ones that are currently available work well and some, like phenoxyethanol, have an excellent tolerance to pH and temperature. The issues are only evident when you dig deeper and review the last decade. Many preservatives have been banned or restricted, but the vegan and naturals market is helping in this respect, as many products in this sphere do not need to use preservatives at all. Finding a new safe preservative is like finding a new antibiotic or vaccine. A high up- front investment is required to fund a lengthy development and validation period. Where is the incentive for manufacturers to develop a new preservative, when it could end up being banned or restricted early in its lifetime? Cosmetic Europe has a product preservation
programme which is trying to tackle this very problem and educate those in the industry, but during the last 10 years, only two new preservatives have been added to Annex 5 and it is not surprising why. In a rocky economic climate, companies do not want to pay a huge upfront cost for what is essentially a gamble.
References 1
https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/ cosing/pdf/COSING_Annex%20V_v2.pdf
2
https://www.thefactsabout.co.uk/parabens 3
https://www.thefactsabout.co.uk/MIT-MCIT 4
https://ec.europa.eu/health/scientific_ committees/consumer_safety/docs/ sccs_o_195.pdf
www.personalcaremagazine.com
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