Rising to the challenge of formulating with natural preservatives

Indeed, one of the biggest stumbling blocks for the category is the use of preservatives simply because many of the most effective and commonly-used ingredients are synthetically derived.

Likewise, many of the natural alternatives that are currently on the market have proved to be less effective than their synthetic counterparts.

Although there have been some significant new natural preservatives launched on the market in the past year or so, the problem remains that natural-based personal care products often spoil before their non-natural counterparts.

Natural preservatives are easier to work with in the US​

In Europe this problem is even more difficult because the Cosmetics Directive does not recognize the definition of a natural preservative.

According to Judi Beerling, technical research manager at Organic Monitor, the situation in the US is much less regulated.

“It is probably a little easier for US formulators as they don’t, for example, have Annex V of the Cosmetics Directive to worry about, when it comes to preservatives,”​ said Beerling.

Oxidation of oils and stability of emulsions​

As well as the issue of preservatives, formulators of natural and organic personal care products also have specific challenges in a number of other areas, including oxidation and deterioration of oils, stability of emulsions, discoloration and undesirable odors.

Another key issue is the sourcing of raw materials, many of which are farmed from exotic plants according to sustainable and eco-friendly principles, making them more vulnerable to crop failure that can limit their availability.

All of these issues will be addressed at Organic Monitor’s forthcoming Sustainable Cosmetics Summit, which will be held in Frankfurt, Germany from November 16 – 17.

For further details, please click here​.