Hello Green Beauty: DIY

Cosmetic Ingredient: Preservative Eco

QUICK PRESERVATIVE PROFILE
INCI	Benzyl Alcohol (and) Salicylic Acid (and) Glycerin (and) Sorbic Acid
Other Trade Names	Geogard ECT, Plantaserv M, Mikrokill ECT
Form	Liquid
Color	Colorless
Odor	Almond-like aroma
pH	3 to 8
Solubility	Slightly water soluble
Usage Rate	0.6% to 1%
Ideal Temperature to Add	Cool down phase under 45°C (113°F)
Broad Spectrum	Yes
Ecocert Compliant	Yes
COSMOS Compliant	Yes
Applications	Lotion, cream, sunscreen products, makeup products (including lip products), shampoo, conditioner, body wash, facial wash
Cautions	Not permitted in products for children under the age of 3

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

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and purchase the products, I’ll receive some commission.

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, by Hello Green Beauty

In DIY, Suppliers

DIY Cosmetic Supplier Highlight: Mediself.ph

It was late last year when I accidentally discovered Mediself.ph on Shopee while looking for a specific cosmetic raw material that is very hard to find locally. Mediself.ph is an online supplier of natural cosmetic raw materials in the Philippines. I can say that this shop is a hidden gem for DIY cosmetic formulators because most of the raw materials they offer are being used in popular Korean skincare products. Surprisingly, most of their raw materials are actually sourced from South Korea – the land of K-Beauty.

Mediself.ph sells cosmetic raw materials in various categories:

Carrier oils
Essential oils
Fragrance oils
Floral waters (a.k.a. hydrosols)
Botanical extracts
Cosmetic bases

What I like about Mediself.ph is that

They also sell in smaller sizes which are perfect for those who just want to try out a new raw material first before purchasing in larger sizes.
They have nice and leak-proof product packaging.
Raw material expiration date is clearly indicated on the packaging label. Although, I hope they could also include the usage rate on the label for ease of reference.

Here are some of my recommended cosmetic raw materials that you can try from Mediself.ph.

1,3-Propanediol

1,3-Propanediol is known as a natural alternative to propylene glycol since it is derived from corn sugar. As an alternative to propylene glycol, it can be used as a solvent to help dilute other active ingredients (e.g. salicylic acid, allantoin, etc.). It is also a humectant just like glycerin but without the stickiness commonly associated to glycerin. It may also help boost the efficacy of preservatives used in your formulation (most especially if you used preservatives that contain phenoxyethanol).

Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate

Galactomyces is an ingredient that is often found in Korean anti-aging skincare products. Galactomyces is actually a type of yeast that is used when making Japanese sake. The filtrate obtained during the fermenting process is rich in antioxidants that are good for the skin. In cosmetics, galactomyces is also used to improve the skin’s moisture barrier by protecting it from environmental stress (e.g. pollution).

Bifida Ferment Lysate

Have you ever heard about probiotic in skincare products? Well, bifida ferment lysate is one of the most in demand probiotic skincare ingredients in town. Bifida ferment lysate is a type of probiotic found in the human digestive system. It is one of the active ingredients used in Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair serum. According to a research conducted by Estee Lauder, it has the ability to repair skin damage caused by UV.

Propolis Extract

Propolis is a resin-like substance (a mixture of tree sap and beeswax) that honey bees produced and used to seal their beehives. It is for this reason that propolis is also known as “bee glue”. In skincare world, propolis is a cosmetic ingredient known for its ability to fight acne-causing bacteria due to its antiseptic properties. It also has the ability to soothe and heal sensitive skin.

Hyaluronic Acid (Sodium Hyaluronate)

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a popular humectant ingredient, which means that it attracts moisture into the skin in order to increase hydration. Basically, there are two types of hyaluronic acid: low molecular and high molecular. Low molecular HA penetrates the skin deeper due to its smaller molecule size. Since moisture is stored deep within the skin, it can make the skin firmer and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Meanwhile, high molecular HA cannot penetrate the skin, instead it stays closer to the skin surface, thus improving the elasticity of the skin and keeping it plump. Another difference between the two is that high molecular HA will form a thicker gel in a formulation while low molecular HA is more of a watery consistency.

Mediself.ph sells hyaluronic acid in 1% liquid solution – available in both low and high molecular. Since it is in liquid form, it is a lot easier to use since you don’t need to disperse/hydrate it prior to adding to your formulation.

To see the complete list of cosmetic raw materials being offered by Mediself.ph, just visit their official online store in Shopee. You can also get in touch with them via Facebook.

P.S. To always get the latest blog updates, don’t forget to follow me on Facebook.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and purchase the products, I’ll receive some commission.