7 minute read
The beauty of natural and synthetic synergies in personal care preservation
These days, there is an increasing demand for cleaner and greener beauty products. To meet shifting needs, beauty brands are reformulating their product lines. Yet, components that are considered “clean” and “natural” can sometimes be misleading and are not always safe. More clarity and a better understanding of the trends are required, plus the focus of providing safer and more effective solutions should never change, writes Tali Cohen, marketing manager of Sharon Laboratories.
Preservatives are a fundamental part of a formula since they ensure the safety of the consumer and the finished product. They inhibit the growth of bacteria, yeast, mould and fungi, even after a product has been opened and exposed to the elements, and during use. Inappropriate preservation of a formula poses serious health risks to the skin. The task formulators must address is choosing a preservative solution that will not only guarantee product safety but also consumer safety.
The risk of contamination can be influenced by many factors: product type; where it is stored; and exposure to moisture, heat or humidity. The presence of natural extracts, mud, clay and the water content in a formulation also play a role.
A product’s packaging, such as an open jar, may increase the contamination risk when compared to a pump or tube. It is these characteristics that determine the type of contamination threat a product faces, such as gram-negative and -positive bacteria, yeast or mould. A formulator must also take other aspects into consideration such as regulatory updates; impact on odour and colour; compatibility with other ingredients; and the climate in the various regions of sale.
Figure 1: Challenge test results 0.5% SharoSense Plus 181 Natural passes EP and UPS
CURRENT TRENDS AND CHALLENGES
Current trends leave formulators with fewer options of preservatives, as they face a rapidly shrinking pool of compounds of interest. Many of the existing preservative solutions are not strong enough to handle the antimicrobial challenge. In this case, there are a number of ways in which formulators can improve the strength or versatility of the preservative. They can raise the level of use, generally to over 1%. Another option is to add additional materials such as a booster, additional preservatives or an extract with antimicrobial activity. Adding a chelating agent could also be done, with the use of a combination of all of the above being a further solution. However, all these alternative steps have implications.
Did you know?
Since establishing its first production and R&D centre in 1977, Sharon Laboratories has built a global reputation for developing preservatives and has become a leading supplier in the industry. The accumulated knowledge within the business continues to provide the foundation for developing a wide variety of innovative and highly successful technologies, which provide preservation solutions to the entire personal care industry.
A higher level of use of a preservative can raise regulatory issues as many materials are permitted for use within a specific limit (like phenoxyethanol or benzyl alcohol at a maximum limit of 1%). In addition, a higher level of use can cause formulation hurdles such as an impact on viscosity, stability, odour and more. Further consequences come from the end-user angle, such as skin sensitivity, and of course, higher cost.
BROAD-SPECTRUM, EFFECTIVE PRESERVATIVE
Represented locally by CJP Chemicals, Sharon Laboratories’ mission is to fill the gap between chemical and natural. Sharon Laboratories is a global manufacturer of solutions for preserving and prolonging the shelf life of personal care products. It is an industry leader in the development, production and marketing of preservatives.
The company’s research and innovation are based on identifying and utilising the synergistic effects among hand-picked compounds and optimising the use of already authorised compounds. In doing so, Sharon Laboratories set a goal to create a broad-spectrum, high-efficacy preservative, which originates from natural compounds but is created in the lab. In the development process, many natural elements were screened for anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activity. Once a certain compound was identified, it was time to turn to the lab to select a synthetic homolog. This approach was fruitful and resulted in the launch of an innovative patented preservative solution, SharoSense PlusTM.
SharoSense Plus preservative solution is based on the active ingredient maltol, which was identified as a key ingredient in this concept combined with specific cationic elements. Maltol is a naturally-occurring organic compound. It has an EWG score of 1; is GRAS-approved; found in CoSing, the cosmetic ingredient database of the European Commission; is highly soluble in water; has clear environmental benefits; and is readily biodegradable.
A SOLUTION FOR SENSITIVE SKIN
Skin irritation is a key concern of consumers when it comes to ingredients in cosmetic products. Components that are considered “clean” and “natural” can be misleading. When preserving a formulation, factors causing skin sensitivity need to be explored. It is also important that suppliers better understand the challenges formulators face when preserving products for sensitive skin.
Human skin acts as a shield, holding in moisture and keeping out external elements that may cause harm. A sensitive skin barrier is weaker and tends to permit factors that can result in irritation. The face is the most common site of skin sensitivity due to a thinner skin barrier, a much higher density of nerve endings, the number of products applied to the face, and its continued exposure to the environment.
The industry has struggled to bring efficient alternatives to cater to the needs of sensitive skin. Based on consumer feedback on skin irritation parameters, brands are challenging suppliers of preservative systems to adapt their products in line with sensitivity requirements. Sharon Laboratories put the SharoSense Plus to the test and found it safe for use when applied to sensitive skin and facial areas, including the eyes and lips.
SODIUM HYALURONATE COMPATIBILITY ISSUE
One of the most popular ingredients in skin care is hyaluronic acid and there is increasing consumer demand for this ingredient in facial care products. Some formulations can contain up to 20% of sodium hyaluronate, placing major demands on the preservation solution in terms of compatibility.
SharoSense Plus 181 Natural is Sharon Laboratories’ newest addition to its product line, providing formulators with a novel preservative solution based on natural maltol. It is suitable for a wide range of applications, including facial care products containing a high percentage of sodium hyaluronate. SharoSense Plus 181 Natural shows excellent efficacy in products with hyaluronic acid, as shown in the challenge test results in Figure 1. The preservative was tested at a level of use of 0.5%, achieving complete protection against bacteria, yeast and mould.
In addition to its natural origin, SharoSense Plus 181 Natural preservative solution offers environmental benefits thanks to its renewable carbon index. In fact 99.3% of the 181-N carbon are renewable and it has a Natural Origin Index ISO16128 of 99.6%.
SharoSense Plus 181 Natural is supplied in a powder form which is highly soluble in water. It also supports a minimalistic approach in formulation design, requiring only two components and eliminating the need for a co-solvent or booster, and it is effective at a low level of use.
CONNECTING NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC SOLUTIONS
The safety of a naturally-derived ingredient isn’t always guaranteed. Yet, with SharoSense Plus 181 Natural, the market now has access to a natural, clean beauty preservative solution that is proven to provide complete protection against bacteria, yeast and mould.
When formulating beauty products, formulators need to take all this into account and search for the right solution to answer all aspects without compromising on product safety, formulation efficacy and compatibility, as well as being safe for use on skin and kind to the environment.
Sharon Laboratories has found the link between natural and synthetic is key to filling the gaps of the preservation needs of the personal care industry. While SharoSense Plus with maltol is a start, more options will follow as we turn back to nature for solutions and combine our findings with laboratorybased R&D. •
CJP Chemicals –www.cjpchemicals.co.za Sharon Laboratories – www.sharon-labs.com
