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The importance of preservatives in cosmetics
Thu, 25 Jun 2020
Microbial growth in cosmetic products
An example of how microorganisms can lurk in your skincare and you won't even know!
This us a sample of lipbalm which I purposely didn't preserve for illustration.
I swiped my finger in it as you would if you were applying it to lips, this will have introduced bacteria.
This balm showed no visible signs of anything untoward.
After 9 days it began to smell rancid, so I decided to do an incubation test.
The pink/red bloom is active yeast, which you may see on your cream cheese if it's unsealed in the fridge and water gets in the tub. You may also find it in your shower where a combination of skin cells, moisture will humidity let it thrive.
After 21 days at room temperature the lipbalm smells like stilton, but still looks fine!
