Preservatives in cosmetics: pros and cons

How to protect cosmetic products from microorganisms

2024-08-23

The beginning of the 21st century was marked for the world of aesthetic medicine and cosmetology by an "explosion" that occurred in the market of natural and biocosmetics. But how sincere is the desire of manufacturers to use only ingredients of natural origin and the rejection of preservatives in the production of cosmetics? And why do manufacturers who declare their products as eco-cosmetics ensure the product's shelf life during the period of use?

In the wake of the popularity of biocosmetics, some manufacturers (especially in the food industry) increasingly focus consumers' attention on the fact that their products "do not contain preservatives." Such declarations often appear even on those products that, in principle, do not need such components.

So, in the food industry, the use of preservatives will be superfluous if the technologies of canning, pasteurization, etc. are used during the production and packaging of products. In the pharmaceutical industry, as well as in the production of many cosmetics, the technology of bottling in ampoules, which are usually sterilized in an autoclave after filling, is widely used. Since the sterilization procedure involves obtaining a sterile, germ-free product, what is the point of writing "No preservatives" on the label?

Thus, it is necessary to protect from microorganisms those products that contain both water and fat, and amino acids or proteins, etc. That is, nutrients necessary for life. As a rule, these are emulsions that make up a significant part of cosmetic products: milk, creams, masks...

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