Preservative Eco (also known by other trade names of Geogard ECT, Plantaserv M, Mikrokill ECT) is one of the most commonly used preservatives used in natural and organic cosmetic and toiletry products since it is both Ecocert and COSMOS compliant. It is a broad spectrum preservative so it protects your cosmetic products against bacteria, yeast and mold (both gram-positive and gram-negative).

Since it is in liquid form, Preservative Eco is very easy to incorporate into any cosmetic formulation. When working with an emulsion (e.g. lotion, cream), it must be added during cool down phase at temperature below 45°C (113°F) since this preservative is heat sensitive. For water-based products (e.g. toner, shampoo), Preservative Eco must be first mixed with either glycerine or glycol (e.g. propylene glycol, propanediol 1,3) before adding to the formulation. This is because benzyl alcohol (one of the primary ingredients of Preservative Eco) is only slightly soluble in water.

Take note that Preservative Eco has a distinct almond-like aroma due to benzyl alcohol. Luckily, its distinct smell can easily be masked with the addition of fragrances in your final product. The benzyl alcohol is also said to be not compatible with non-ionic surfactants (e.g. decyl glucoside) as they can reduce the efficacy of the preservative.

Since Preservative Eco contains salicylic acid, there is a possibility that some metal ions in your formula will react to it causing your product to turn into slightly pink color. One solution to avoid such issue is to add a chelating agent to your formulation. Chelating agents bind to metal ions in order to protect the cosmetic product against oxidation reactions such as discoloration. Examples of chelating agents are EDTA (synthetic) and Dermofeel PA (natural). Also, because of the inclusion of salicylic acid, Preservative Eco is not permitted in products intended for children under the age of 3.

Preservative Eco has a pH compatibility in the range of 3 to 8. Most cosmetic and personal care products fall within that range so using Preservative Eco won’t be a problem. Otherwise, you might need to adjust the pH of your cosmetic formulation to meet its pH requirement.

Just an important reminder for any cosmetic formulators, if you’re going to sell your homemade products, it’s a must to have your products undergo microbiological testing such as Preservative Efficacy Test (PET) in order to know how well the chosen cosmetic preservatives work in your products.

Where to buy Preservative Eco

• Shopee (Philippines)
• New Directions (Australia) 
• Aromantic (UK)
• Voyageur Soap and Candle Company (US)
• Formulator Sample Shop (US)