Israeli company introduces microbiome friendly preservative, claims is as effective as synthetics

Israel based Synergio launched their ingredient BiomEco 94 over the summer, a preservative specifically formulated to protect shelf life and safety of personal care products while not negatively impacting positive microorganism in the skin microbiome.

The company focuses on creating plant extracts for preservation and anti-microbial purposes in personal care products, said David Hart, Synergio’s vice president of marketing and business development.

As preservatives are designed to kill microorganisms to protect the product and the consumer, he said the company began to consider how those ingredients were impacting the healthy microbiomes of consumers.

Research shows some positive microorganisms are inhibited by some conventional and common preservatives in personal care, depending on their concentration, which preservatives are being used and what combination of preservatives are being used, among other factors.

Through clinical testing of their new BiomEco ingredient line, Hart said they found the ingredient was as effective as its synthetic counterparts and supported a healthy microbiome.

“That brings us to this idea of turning a liability, the killing properties of preservatives into an asset, where you can create a product that’s actually going to help protect or keep a balanced microbiome,”​ Hart said.

According to a press release on the ingredient, Synergio was able to directly target harmful microorganism and leave positive ones untouched.

While there has been skepticism around Synergio’s claims, Hart said the company can back them with their own data and has sent samples to other labs, who have gotten similar results.

“That brings us to this idea of turning a liability, the killing properties of preservatives into an asset, where you can create a product that’s actually going to help protect or keep a balanced microbiome." -​David Hart, vice president of marketing and business development

Representative for Synergio Liat Simha said the ingredient is about taking a holistic approach to preservation, both in its microbiome benefits and in the company’s botanicals-based sustainability claims, like being vegan and 100% natural by ISO 16128 standards.

Corporate and consumer responsibility are a selling point for BioEco 94, along with many other ingredients with sustainability claims, but Hart said this preservative also fits into what consumers want in personal care right now.

“Consumer demand is very high,”​ he said.  “Luckily for us we’re in the sweet spot of the trends, where the market is going, and consumers want more sustainable, plant based, transparent products.”​

BioEco has launched into the US this year with partner Deveraux Specialties and presented at NYSCC’s Suppliers’ Day in November. Hart said they have already seen significant interest in the ingredient both in the US and internationally.