Self‐preserving cosmetics

Abstract

Preservatives are added to products for two reasons: first, to prevent microbial spoilage and therefore to prolong the shelf life of the product; second, to protect the consumer from a potential infection. Although chemical preservatives prevent microbial growth, their safety is questioned by a growing segment of consumers. Therefore, there is a considerable interest in the development of preservative-free or self-preserving cosmetics. In these formulations traditional/chemical preservatives have been replaced by other cosmetic ingredients with antimicrobial properties that are not legislated as preservatives according to the Annex VI of the Commission Directive 76/768/EEC and the amending directives (2003/15/EC, 2007/17/EC and 2007/22/EC). 'Hurdle Technology', a technology that has been used for the control of product safety in the food industry since 1970s, has also been applied for the production of self-preserving cosmetics. 'Hurdle Technology' is a term used to describe the intelligent combination of different preservation factors or hurdles to deteriorate the growth of microorganisms. Adherence to current good manufacturing practice, appropriate packaging, careful choice of the form of the emulsion, low water activity and low or high pH values are significant variables for the control of microbial growth in cosmetic formulations. This paper describes the application of the basic principles of 'Hurdle Technology' in the production of self-preserving cosmetics. Multifunctional antimicrobial ingredients and plant-derived essential oils and extracts that are used as alternative or natural preservatives and are not listed in Annex VI of the Cosmetic Directive are also reported.

Production of essential oils from in vitro cultures of Caryopteris species and comparison of their concentrations with in vivo plants

“…Moreover, abietatriene was reported to display a strong gastroprotective effect, comparable to lansoprazole (Areche 2007), whereas totarol demonstrated antifungal, antimalarial and antifibrotic activities (Lee et al 2008;Tacon et al 2012). The latter is also a well-known antimicrobial agent against Gram-positive bacteria, used in cosmetics such as toothpastes, mouthwashes and acne preparations (Varvaresou et al 2009). Given the high essential oil yield of Caryopteris adventitious roots, as well as the suitability of this type of biomass for industrial production of plant secondary metabolites (Murthy et al 2008;Baque et al 2012), the established root cultures can be considered a promising, alternative source of Caryopteris oil.…”

Development of Antimicrobial Plant Extracts and its Application to Cosmetics

“…formaldehyde-releasing preservatives such as imidazolidinyl urea and diazolidinyl urea are thought to cause skin reaction in sensitive individuals and allergy to isothiazolinones has been reported in many publications [3][4][5].…”

“…It is known that some plant extracts and essential oil from herbs have antimicrobial activity [5][6][7]. For example, the essential oils of Rosmarinus officinalis and Cinnamomum zeylanicum have been used for their antimicrobial properties [8][9][10].…”

Study of Natural Preservative System Using the Mixture of Scutellariae radix, Acacia nilotica and Citrus reticulata Extracted from Polyhydric Alcohols

“…그 중에서 화장품은 유통기간 이 비교적 길며, 그 사용 과정 및 보관 방법에 있어서 미생 물과 접촉할 가능성이 매우 높고, 각종 미생물의 생장에 필 요한 영양소와 수분 함량이 높아 의약품 또는 식품에 비해 방부 처리에 대한 더 많은 필요성과 문제점을 갖고 있다 [1]. 화장품에 사용되는 방부제의 종류는 매우 다양하며 또한 화장품 생산의 증가에 따라 방부제는 더욱 다양해지고 그 사용량도 증가되고 있으나 대부분 화학 방부제로 개발되고 있다.…”