Function:

Need Training?

Build a solid foundation in science, formulation and product development—find out more!

Most Popular in:

Preservatives

187

Effective vs. Ineffective Preservation Using Water Activity*

110

Broad-spectrum Alternative to Caprylyl Glycol Preservative Blends

103

Comparatively Speaking: Cosmetic Preservatives

102

1,2-Alkanediols for Cosmetic Preservation

65

Comparatively Speaking: Antimicrobial vs. Preservative vs. Antibiotic

63

New Alternatives to Paraben-Based Preservative Blends

59

"Nature-identical" Preservative for More Sustainable Science

48

Oil, Water-soluble Phenoxyethanol for Broad Spectrum Preservation

41

Optimizing Formula Preservation

38

Botanigenics Launches Paraben-free Preservative System

Excerpt Only

Email This Item! Print This Item!

Makeup Powders Preservation and Water Activity

By: Valerie Vignier, Anne-Marie Mounier and Veronique Heidet-Hommeau, Laboratoire de Biologie Végétale Yves Rocher; and Bernard Cahagnier, Expert en Microbiologie
Posted: December 23, 2005, from the January 2004 issue of Cosmetics & Toiletries.

Purchase This Article

  • From Cosmetics & Toiletries
  • January 2004 issue, pg 47
  • 7 pages

Article Keywords:

  • preservation
  • water activity
  • equilibrium relative humidity
  • makeup powders
  • eyeshadow
  • mold
  • bacillus

Available Formats:

  • Adobe PDF for download
  • Printed copies mailed to you

From $9 an article

One of the problems still facing the cosmetics industry is microbiological pollution and its various consequences. For the manufacturer, contamination alters a product's organoleptic and psysiocochemical characteristics and degrades its active ingredients, which leads to a refusal of the product. For a consumer, the application of a product contaminated bty a pathogenic microorganism could result in infections, or at least could alter the balance of the skin/mucous membrane, our first barrier against infections.

Contamination may derive from a variety of sources: the raw materials, the manufacturing process, storage, packaging or use. To ensure that the microbiological quality remains good from manufacture to utilization, most products are preserved by the addition of antimicrobial agents.

This is only an excerpt of the full article that appeared in Cosmetics & Toiletries, but you can purchase the full-text version.