Preservatives In Lotion – See How To Avoid This Surprise

Preservatives in lotion has gotten a bad name in some circles. Not being “all natural” appears to be the problem. Bacteria and germs are all natural too but you don’t want to be putting them on your skin and causing infections do you?

When making homemade lotions there are three well known, effective preservatives to choose from. Stick to these especially if you are planning to sell your lotion to the public.

Gregory from over at aromagregory (you’ve gotta read his about me section) lays out

Our three choices for preservatives in lotion:

Phenonip and Germaben II, and Germall Plus are actual preservatives. They inhibit the growth of microorganisms, yeast and fungus in lotions, creams, etc. If one is making products for resale, the FDA requires that you put a preservative in any cosmetic that is not a soap. If you are simply making products for your personal use, you do not have to include preservative. However, if you choose not to preserve your lotion or cream (or other formula) then you must treat the finished product as a perishable food item. Either use it up quickly or store in the refrigerator and use within two weeks.

Germaben II and Germall Plus are water soluble. This means that they will only work if water is the major ingredient in your recipe. These products do not withstand high temperatures well. So they must be added when your recipe is finished and cooled to 100 degrees F or below.

Germaben II ingredients – Propylene Glycol, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben. Use 1% of total formula.Germall Plus ingredients – Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropenyl Butacarbamate. The liquid form of this will list Propylene Glycol as the first ingredient. Usage – 0.2% – .05% of total formula weight.

Phenonip is oil soluble, and so is better for products where oils comprise the majority of ingredients in your formula. It can also withstand much higher temperatures. This allows more flexibility regarding what stage you add the preservative to your recipe.

Phenonip ingredients: Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben, Propylparaben. Usage – 1% of total formula.

You can read the whole article here

LoveNatureLife expounds on the dilemma between natural and synthetic preservatives

Due to controversy surrounding the use of chemical preservatives in food and cosmetics, some companies are turning to other options to help extend products’ shelf life.  Some are switching from synthetic to natural. Unfortunately all natural preservatives may not be as good as they sound, especially if taken in excess. But on a positive note they aren’t as toxic as synthetic preservatives. The best option would be no preservatives at all, but products would not be able to stay fresh too long.[read the whole article here]

There you have it preservatives in lotion. Whether natural or synthetic preservatives are a must in order to keep your homemade lotions from spoiling. What do you think about the all natural versus synthetic issue as it pertains to preservatives in your cosmetics? Let me know in the comment section below.

Germaben IIGet it HerePhenonipGet it HereBulk Leucidal SFGet it HereLeucidal Liquid Radish RootGet it Here

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