Is there a preservative that you can use with EVERYTHING???

[dirtybirdsoaps]

I am going to try to start using preservatives in my products but have no clue about them. Ive tried reading the info on them but it's sad to admit but I don't understand it Right now I make all my products natural, and I make it and sell it in small containers so it going bad isn't a factor. I am looking for something that will work in lotions, body scrubs, lip scrubs, shaving creams.....etc. I'd like to use just one if I could especially since I don't understand all the preservative lingo and stare at it in a daze LOL. Any help would be appreciated. Also this is going to sound really stupid but are preservatives VEGAN????? Ive tried reading up on it but couldn't determine if it was or not....blank stare once again LOL. All my products are vegan and I need to keep it that way. Thanks again for ANY help.

[P&V]

I did a google search for you and the only thing I found was something called Preservative K? I don't know what it is but it may be a starting point for you. It said "it's used by green cosmetics companies world wide". HTH.

[kidsngarden]

Phenonip is pretty universal. I don't know about lip stuff though. also it has to be added when oils, etc are between 150-170 for proper dissolving. I have no idea if it is vegan or not.

Bethany

[Jadryga]

Preservatives are needed mainly when you have a formulation with water in it (or that has a high probability of coming into contact with water) like lotions, creams, toners, etc.

By "water" this includes just about anything watery that you'd consider part of your water phase for lotions, like goat's milk, aloe vera, papaya juice, etc. This isn't a problem for soaps because they're cured, but for lotions and such, the water content = bacteria/mold/yeast breeding ground. Milk is more difficult to preserve because of the complex proteins. There's a thread on preserving goat's milk lotions somewhere about this forum, heh.

If you're planning on storing or selling aqueous products, there's no way you can omit preservatives. For personal use, you can just make small batches, refrigerate and throw out within a couple days (depends, really). Otherwise, you could make anhydrous (waterless) products like body oils instead of lotions or shampoo bars instead of shampoo, that sort of thing.

Your scrubs, if anhydrous (not emulsified), could probably get away without a preservative, though you might want to put something like "use within 3 months of opening" or maybe include a nice scoop to discourage customers from dipping wet hands into the jar.

As for vegan-ness... did some research for you and came up with these.

If you're looking for universal usability, Optiphen seems to be your best bet. It's composed of phenoxyethanol and caprylic glycol. I've found a lot of sources of phenoxyethanol but the general consensus is that it's sourced from plant oils (sage, rose, coconut, etc). Caprylic glycol seems to be derived from coconut.

EDIT: Just found some info stating that Optiphen only covers bacteria and yeast, not mold. Might want to take that into consideration. Optiphen Plus, a newer formulation including sorbic acid covers mold as well, but appears to be most effective for formulations with a pH below 6.0. http://www.ispcorp.com/products/preservatives/content/brochure/optiphenplus/intro.html

(From MMS: Finally, a paraben and formaldehyde-free preservative! Optiphen is a unique liquid preservative formulation which consists of phenoxyethanol and an emollient base. For use in a variety of formulas such as aqueous, anhydrous and emulsion products. Optiphen is a clear liquid preservative that can be easily added directly to the formulation during pre- or post-emulsification, at or below 80°C. Optiphen has no pH restrictions in formulating, and is compatible with most ingredients used in the personal care industry.)

Other alternatives:

Sodium hydroxymethylglycinate or Suttocide (+ 50% water)

(derived from glycerin or amino acids, although it denatures in aqueous solutions into sodium glycinate and formaldehyde. Now, it's theoretically safe, if used properly, but some might not want to use anything that denatures into formaldehyde, so personal choice there. There's a more comprehensive explanation here: http://houseofstrauss.co.uk/modules/wordbook/entry.php?entryID=522. From Aromatics & More: A safe and mild preservative derived for the amino acid glycine. It has broad spectrum anti-microbial properties and is active against gram positive and negative yeasts and molds. It maintains its acitivity in pH levels as high as 12. It may react with some citrus compounds and turn products yellow.)

Sodium dehydroacetate

(plant-based, haven't found all that much information about it.)

Potassium sorbate

(From Aromatics & More: A food grade preservative derived from Mountain Ash Sorbus species. Potassium Sorbate retains its activity in a pH up to but not over 6.0. It is very effective against yeast and molds.)

Neopein

(From Aromatics & More: Biopein® a 100% natural preservative was first introduced in May 2003. Since then the product has been improved on and has been replaced by NEOPEIN®. NEOPEIN® may be used at rates as low as 0.2%. The cinnamon component of Biopein has been replaced by Olive Leaf extract to produce a product that has less potential to irritate and a lighter scent.

Ingredients: extracts of Origanum vulgare (oregano), Thymus vulgarism (thyme) Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary), Lavandula officinalis (lavender), Hydrastis Canadensis (goldenseal), and Olea europaea (olive leaf).)

Helpful reads:

http://www.vegetarian-restaurants.net/Additives/Preservative-Cosmetics.htm

http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/library/preservatives.asp

Found one in this forum!

http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?p=199218

Good sources:

(NZ) http://www.aromaticsandmore.com/products/preservatives_anti_oxidants.html

(US) http://www.thesage.com/catalog/LotionSupplies.html

Hope this gives you a good starting point. Good luck!

[BLSoaps]

I'm not going to touch upon the vegan thing, but as for a universal preservative, there's no such thing. There are a lot of factors in choosing a preservative. But here are a few simple factors that go into them

• pH levels

• oil or water preferences (some have to be blended with oil, while others only in water)
  
• Oil percentages (germaben II can be used in formulas with less than 25%, but when you go above 25% you should switch to Germaben IIE)
  
• I'm tired, and my kids have been total PITAs today, and I can't think of anything else. I know there is sooooo much more, but these are just a few key ones...

It'd be nice if there was one that would work with all, but it simply doesn't exist. Some are more broad spectrum in this than others, but I usually have 3-4 different preservatives on hand.

[dirtybirdsoaps]

Thanks for all the help everyone! I guess I will have to sit down and figure out which is best for what. I will just have to do an extensive search on the VEGAN thing.