When most consumers think of preservatives, their mind wanders to packaged foods, not personal care products. Why would manufacturers add preservatives to skin care? Bell Chem, your personal care ingredient supplier, wishes to share information on the uses and reasons preservatives are a vital ingredient in the majority of personal care products. 

Why do personal care products need preservatives?

Water-based products have an Achilles’ heel. Kept in a room-temperature environment in a stagnant container, water-borne bacteria, fungi, mold, and other microorganisms quickly multiply. Think about where you use the majority of your personal care products – the steamy, damp bathroom. This exacerbates an already perilous situation. The answer is preservatives to stanch the microbial growth. Knowing this, the only personal care products exempt from the necessity of preservatives are anhydrous products. Even these are not entirely safe since water can be introduced via wet hands or a steamy bathroom, which invites bacterial growth.

Over time, many ingredients within products begin to break down, which can diminish the usefulness of a product. Preservatives act to stabilize those ingredients, which enhances the product’s ability to last a longer amount of time.

What’s in a name?

Recently many consumers have opted out of products containing a long list of chemical-sounding ingredients, and sometimes preservatives are those very words. However, not all preservatives are artificial. Take, for instance, honey. This innocuous ingredient is a preservative since it extends shelf life of products as it deters microbial growth. 

Natural preservatives

Glycerin, essential oils, and alcohols are all considered natural preservatives. Their advantages are abundant – they can be used by most of the population, including young children and older adults, and deliver peace of mind to the end user. However, they may alter a product’s smell or performance and increase the cost of production since often up to 30% of the product could consist of preservatives. This cost is passed on to the consumer as a higher price than chemical preservatives.

Chemical preservatives

Noted for their ease of production, chemical preservatives keep products free of contaminants even in your bathroom. These preservatives are stable, predictable, sanitary, and have been tested thoroughly to allay most allergic reactions. Benzyl alcohol, ethylene glycol, and potassium sorbate are all examples of chemical preservatives you can trust.

Bell Chem is your personal care ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including preservatives for personal care products. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.