JIM BULLOCK
iFormulate Ltd, Nottingham, United Kingdom

Abstract

Formulators of personal care products are challenged by restrictions and market demands that go well beyond official regulations. This has led to fewer options for preservative systems. This article summarises the key opinions of the HPC Today panel of preservation suppliers and service providers. Together with the individual contributions of the panel, this article provides a summary of those challenges and shows how formulators can put together robust preservation systems despite the many restrictions and compromises.

The topic of antimicrobial preservation for cosmetic products continues to be an important and sometimes contentious one. So, for the SEPAWA edition of HPC Today, the journal has interviewed a wide-ranging panel of suppliers and service providers in the field of preservation to find out what the current themes and areas of debate are, as well as how the current challenges of preservation are being tackled.

Our panel were unanimous on the vital importance of an effective preservation system for personal care products. A good preservation system is like a good football referee – if it is doing its job brilliantly then you shouldn’t even notice that it’s there. However, when things go wrong with preservation, the consequences can include product spoilage, product recalls, brand and reputational damage, as well – possibly – of harmful consequences for the consumer. So, when a formulator is called upon to reduce, replace or even eliminate preservatives from a cosmetic product, then the risks of not doing the job of preservation properly need to be balanced against the benefits of making a change.

The pressures on cosmetic formulators do not co ...