preservatives Archives

Preservatives Quick Guide

January 7, 2019 Filed Under: Tips & Tricks

Preservatives are an important part of DIY bath and body products. They help prevent mold and bacteria growth, which extends the shelf life of products and makes them safe to use. Check out this post for more information on the options we carry and how to use them.

Preservatives are recommended for products made with water or products that may get water splashed in during use. This post has information on whether they’re needed for soap, lotion, and more. Keep in mind these are general rules and may be different based on your preference, how the product will be used, whether you’re selling the product, etc. It’s a great place to start and adjust from there.

Cold process and melt and pour soap
Preservative: No

You never have to worry about adding a preservative to cold process or melt and pour. They have a pH level of 9-10, which doesn’t allow mold or bacteria to grow. Just another reason to love handmade soap.

Liquid soap
Preservative: Optional
Amount 0.5-1% of the total weight
Type: Optiphen ND

Like bar soap, liquid soap has a pH level that doesn’t allow mold to grow. However, it does require distilled water for dilution. You can add a preservative to be extra careful or if you plan to sell it. The same goes for the Bramble Berry liquid soap bases – you can add preservatives to the ones that need to be diluted, but the ready-to-use options are already preserved and don’t need extra.

Lotion
Preservative: Yes
Amount: 1% of the total weight
Type: Optiphen, Phenonip, or Germaben II

Lotion always needs a preservative because it’s made with water. Without one, the shelf life will only be a few weeks.

Body butter
Preservative: No

This is a simple mixture of butter and oil. Because there’s no water and it will likely be applied to dry skin, don’t worry about a preservative. As always, you can add one if you plan to sell it.

Scrubs and bath salts
Preservative: Optional
Amount: 1% of the total weight
Type: Optiphen or Phenonip

While most scrubs and bath salts aren’t made with water, they are usually stored in the shower and can get water splashed in during use. We recommend a preservative for that reason. You can skip it if the recipe is for personal use and stored in a cool, dry area in between uses.

Bath bombs
Preservative: No

Bath bombs don’t contain water so they don’t need a preservative. When choosing witch hazel to wet them, make sure it’s alcohol based or already has a preservative.

Balms
Preservative: No

Like body butter, balms don’t contain water and they’re usually applied to dry skin. You don’t need to worry about a preservative. That goes for body balm and lip balm.

Room sprays, linen sprays, and perfume
Preservative: Yes
Amount: 1% of the total weight
Type: Optiphen ND

If your recipe contains water, it will need a preservative. If not, check the ingredient list and make sure whatever you’re adding has one. For instance, this Lavender Linen Spray is made with ingredients that already have preservatives. That means you don’t need to add another one. The same goes for recipes that are oil based.

Shelf Life of Bath Products & Ingredients: Rancidity vs. Mold

March 1, 2016 Filed Under: Tips & Tricks

Just like food, bath and beauty ingredients have a recommended shelf life. Shelf life refers to the length of time that a product can be stored without it becoming unfit for use. If you make your own bath products, it’s important to have an understanding of shelf life to ensure your products are safe for use. This is particularly important if you give away or sell your products. You don’t want to give or sell an item that is rancid or past its prime.

Before we talk about shelf life, it’s important to understand the difference between rancidity and mold and bacteria growth. Rancidity and mold/bacteria growth in bath and beauty products are independent issues. Mold and bacteria can occur in products that contain water, such as lotion or emulsified scrubs. These products require a preservative to help prevent mold and bacteria growth. Click here to read more about preservatives, and when to use them. Preservatives will not protect fresh ingredients (purees, fresh herbs, etc.) from growing mold in products that do not go through the saponification process such as lotion or balms. This is also the case with melt and pour soap. It has already gone through the saponification process, so any additives can grow mold. Fresh additives will eventually (or even quickly) turn brown, and grow mold and bacteria. The pH level of cold process soap does not allow mold to grow, which is why fresh ingredients can be used. To learn about adding purees to cold process soap, click here.

Rancidity, on the other hand, is the deterioration of oils and fats. There are several types of rancidity, including oxidative rancidity, auto-oxidation, hydrolytic rancidity and microbial rancidity. If you’d like to learn more about the different types of rancidity, Susan Barclay-Nichols of Swift Crafty Monkey has a great blog post on rancidity here. Rancid ingredients can smell bad, change color or lose effectiveness. Rancidity is a sign of an ingredient that is past its shelf life, while mold and bacteria can occur at any time.

Mold and bacteria can grow in products that contain water, such as lotion. Mold growth is not to be confused with rancidity.

[Read more…]

Guest Post: Perfectly Preserved + a body butter recipe

December 9, 2013 Filed Under: Tips & Tricks

Lotions and butters are some of the most popular bath and body products, but they’re also products that can raise the most questions. Questions such as “Do I need a preservative for my product?” “Which preservative do I use?” and “Are preservatives safe?” are some of the most common ones we see, and we hope this thorough guest post by formulation guru and fellow crafter Susan Barclay-Nichols will help clear up some confusion.

Susan is an expert in cosmetic chemistry, and in this post she gets down to the nitty-gritty of which preservatives work best in which products, their usage rates and their ingredients. It’s a one-stop-shop for everything preservative related! Read on to learn about the wide world of preservatives and how you can safely use them in your products.

A-M Note: If you’re concerned about parabens and the safety of preservatives in bath and body products, we’ve found these following resources to be helpful explanations: Parabens Puzzlement, More to the Parabens Puzzlement and Debate Over Parabens – Truth and Research. Borrowing from the blogs: “The FDA supports the use of Parabens as does the European Union….and under regimented testing by the cosmetics directive of the European Union they too, found no direct correlation of Parabens and cancer.”

Keep in mind, the type of preservative you choose is up to you, and I’m glad that there are effective options for everyone out there who wants to responsibly use a full spectrum preservative. All Bramble Berry preservatives have been approved for use in body products. Now onto the guide! – A.M.

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You’ll notice there are actually two areas of contamination in the product. The first is the great big green spot on the left side, but did you notice the brown-y orange streak to the right hand side of that on the side of the jug? Yep, there’s a little more contamination for you!

I made this lotion without preservatives to show you how quickly things can go off. I made this sixteen days ago. (It might have gone off earlier. This was the first chance I had to check it, to be honest!) I did all the things I generally do – I heated and held both phases, I made sure all my equipment and workshop was clean – but I left out the preservatives. I covered it tightly with Press & Seal in this jug after it had cooled to room temperature. It’s been cold in the workshop – below 10˚C – which is quite chilly considering a fridge should be kept at 0˚C to 4˚C, and room temperature is 18˚C to 22˚C. It is also quite damp back there as we’ve had a bunch of rain since Halloween – just about every day – which is normal for this time of year.

[Read more…]

Talk It Out Tuesday: Preservatives

June 12, 2012 Filed Under: Lotion

Welcome to the latest installment of Talk It Out Tuesday! Check out previous TIOTs on melt and pour, bath bombs and colorants. So, you may be wondering, just what in the heck is a preservative? What am I supposed to use them for? Does my soap need a preservative? Preservatives can be a tricky if you haven’t used them before, but fear not, this post will explain the differences so that you can become the expert on preservatives.

What is a preservative?

A preservative is an anti-microbial solution that helps to prevent mold and other yucky things from growing in your products.

This lotion did not have a proper preservative. Yikes.

Why would you use a preservative?

Preservatives are needed in any product that has water in it to prevent bacteria and mold from growing in it. If you don’t use a preservative something icky like this may happen to your product (bummer, right?). [Read more…]

Parabens, Cancer & Experts

February 10, 2010 Filed Under: Lotion

In the new ‘How to Make Lotions’ video released today (available for purchase at Bramble Berry), I talk about parabens and my belief that they are safe and effective for use. If you missed my moldy lotion post, click here to read and see first hand why preservatives are necessary in lotions. My friend, noted aromatherapist and business woman, Kayla Fioravanti, wrote this article on parabens and graciously allowed me to reprint it as a guest blog

There is an overwhelming amount of information that counters the war cry against Parabens, but once that bell was rung there is no silencing the ripple effect that was caused by the scare. If you did a google search on parabens you would think that they cause cancer, but there are two sides to every story. Many manufacturers removed Parabens from products in response to the fear cause by the early paraben reports. The American Cancer Society, The National Cancer Institute, and the FDA have all come out to say that there is no proof that parabens cause cancer. If you are just joining the paraben debate you can learn more about parabens here.

The American Cancer Society

“The researchers looked only for the presence of parabens in breast cancer samples. The study did not show that parabens caused or contributed to breast cancer development in these cases — it only showed that they were there. What this means is not yet clear.

Although parabens have weak estrogen-like properties, the estrogens that are made in the body are hundreds to many thousands of times stronger. So, natural estrogens (or those taken as hormone replacement) are much more likely to play a role in breast cancer development.

Parabens are widely used as preservatives in shampoo, lotions, other cosmetics, and even foods. This study did not contain any information to help find the source of the parabens found in breast tissue.
So far, studies have not shown any direct link between parabens and any health problems, including breast cancer. What has been found is that there are many other compounds in the environment that also mimic naturally produced estrogen.

The bottom line is that larger studies are needed to find out what effect, if any, parabens might have on breast cancer risk.” (Source: American Cancer Society)

The National Cancer Institute

“Some research has focused on parabens, which are preservatives used in some deodorants and antiperspirants that have been shown to mimic the activity of estrogen in the body’s cells (4). Although parabens are used in many cosmetic, food, and pharmaceutical products, according to the FDA, most major brands of deodorants and antiperspirants in the United States do not currently contain parabens. Consumers can look at the ingredient label to determine if a deodorant or antiperspirant contains parabens. Parabens are usually easy to identify by name, such as methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, or benzylparaben. The National Library of Medicine’s Household Products Database also has information about the ingredients used in most major brands of deodorants and antiperspirants.

The belief that parabens build up in breast tissue was supported by a 2004 study, which found parabens in 18 of 20 samples of tissue from human breast tumors. However, this study did not prove that parabens cause breast tumors. The authors of this study did not analyze healthy breast tissue or tissues from other areas of the body and did not demonstrate that parabens are found only in cancerous breast tissue. Furthermore, this research did not identify the source of the parabens and cannot establish that the buildup of parabens is due to the use of deodorants or antiperspirants.

In 2002, the results of a study looking for a relationship between breast cancer and underarm antiperspirants/deodorants were reported (6). This study did not show any increased risk for breast cancer in women who reported using an underarm antiperspirant or deodorant. The results also showed no increased breast cancer risk for women who reported using a blade (nonelectric) razor and an underarm antiperspirant or deodorant, or for women who reported using an underarm antiperspirant or deodorant within 1 hour of shaving with a blade razor. These conclusions were based on interviews with 813 women with breast cancer and 793 women with no history of breast cancer.

Findings from a different study examining the frequency of underarm shaving and antiperspirant/deodorant use among 437 breast cancer survivors were released in 2003 (7). This study found that the age of breast cancer diagnosis was significantly earlier in women who used these products and shaved their underarms more frequently. Furthermore, women who began both of these underarm hygiene habits before 16 years of age were diagnosed with breast cancer at an earlier age than those who began these habits later. While these results suggest that underarm shaving with the use of antiperspirants/deodorants may be related to breast cancer, it does not demonstrate a conclusive link between these underarm hygiene habits and breast cancer.

In 2006, researchers examined antiperspirant use and other factors among 54 women with breast cancer and 50 women without breast cancer. The study found no association between antiperspirant use and the risk of breast cancer; however, family history and the use of oral contraceptives were associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.” (Source: National Cancer Institute)

The FDA

The FDA has a page dedicated to parabens. Some of the important information contained on that page I have quoted below.

“The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) reviewed the safety of methylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben in 1984 and concluded they were safe for use in cosmetic products at levels up to 25%. Typically parabens are used at levels ranging from 0.01 to 0.3%.”

“A study published in 2004 (Darbre, in the Journal of Applied Toxicology) detected parabens in breast tumors. The study also discussed this information in the context of the weak estrogen-like properties of parabens and the influence of estrogen on breast cancer. However, the study left several questions unanswered. For example, the study did not show that parabens cause cancer, or that they are harmful in any way, and the study did not look at possible paraben levels in normal tissue.”

“FDA is aware that estrogenic activity in the body is associated with certain forms of breast cancer. Although parabens can act similarly to estrogen, they have been shown to have much less estrogenic activity than the body’s naturally occurring estrogen. For example, a 1998 study (Routledge et al., in Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology) found that the most potent paraben tested in the study, butylparaben, showed from 10,000- to 100,000-fold less activity than naturally occurring estradiol (a form of estrogen). Further, parabens are used at very low levels in cosmetics. In a review of the estrogenic activity of parabens, (Golden et al., in Critical Reviews in Toxicology, 2005) the author concluded that based on maximum daily exposure estimates, it was implausible that parabens could increase the risk associated with exposure to estrogenic chemicals.”

The Industry

This powerpoint presentation by S Black Innovative Ingredients is an interesting read. In it the author says regarding the test methods, “Controls gave positive results – attributed to contamination! Basic science – if controls produce a positive result, something is WRONG! If controls were contaminated, why not the samples? The Darbre study contains too many flaws to be considered scientifically valid, and does not provide a causal link between parabens and breast cancer as some commentators have claimed”

Katherine Corkill of Sterling Minerals wrote a great blog post called Debate Over Parabens – Truth and Research that I highly recommend. In her article Katherine Corkill says, “I hope this will finally remove the undue paranoia that has run rampant throughout the internet causing us to double-check our labels and throw out a lot of otherwise great products based on unsubstantiated theory and narrow testing.”

I won’t spend too much time going over what the industry says because critics will say that the industry is tainted. Most companies have moved away from parabens but many refuse to because putting out a “paraben-free” product means that they agree with the bad science. We chose to go paraben free because our customers asked us to provide paraben free products. You asked, we listened, but knowing both sides of the story is still worthwhile.

Author Kayla Fioravanti is a Cosmetic Formulator and Registered Aromatherapist. She writes for Demascope Magazine, Les NouvellesEsthetiques & Spa’s and NAHA. In addition to that, she is passionate about small business; she went to Washington DC with a committed group of small business advocates to talk about the small micro beauty businesses.

After Sun Care Recipes

July 10, 2009 Filed Under: Lotion

It is summer time. One the best parts about summer is sun and spending time outside. We all know that it’s best to wear sunscreen and a hat when you are outside but sometimes, the best intentions go out the window when the sun appears. If you over indulged a little, I’m going to spend the next 4 days going over practical and effective sunburn aftercare recipes. Please note that these are good for mild sunburns, not the blistering charred kind. If you have that severe of a sunburn, please go see your Doctor to get something stronger.

Day One: Making a Healing, Soothing Sunburn Lotion

Day Two: Making an Easy Spritzer

Day Three: Infusing Oils

Day Four: Soothing Skin Oil

Soothing Sunburn Lotion

Ingredients (by weight):

18 oz. Aloe Vera Liquid
1.2 oz. Shea Butter
1.7 oz. Sweet Almond Oil
1 oz. Avocado Oil
1.2 oz. Emulsifying Wax
1 oz. Stearic Acid

.2 oz. Phenonip

.1 oz. German Chamomile

.1 oz. Lavender Essential Oil

Tools:

Digital Scale
Stick Blender
one 16 oz. wide-mouth container
one 32 oz. wide-mouth container
Five 4 ounce bottles

You can also buy the Lotion Kit here and substitute the water portion with Aloe Vera (Gel) Water.

Why German Chamomile? German Chamomile has a high azulene content. Azule ne helps calm skin inflammation and decrease redness. Lavender is useful for helping to reduce the sting in the burn and the aromatherapy properties may help to provide emotional stability during the painful sunburn recovery period. Aloe Vera Gel (water) is a well known healing and soothing plant for all kinds of common skin issues, from cuts to bruises to sunburns.

Step 1: Disinfect all of your tools and containers by dunking them in 5% bleachwater solution and drying them with fresh, off the roll, paper towels.

Step 2: In the large 32 oz. container, add the Sweet Almond oil, Avocado Oil, Stearic Acid and Emulsifying wax. Make sure this is all weighed out using a handy dandy digital scale (no volume measurements). Put in the microwave on 30 second bursts to melt the E-Wax and Stearic Acid. Despite the scary name, Stearic Acid is derived from Palm Oil and isn’t acidic or scary. It actually adds to the fluffiness factor of the lotion.

Step 3: Add the Shea Butter to the hot mixture and stir to melt.

Step 4: Warm up the Aloe Vera Liquid and add it to your oil mixture. Why do you need to warm it? Because if it is too cold, it will harden the waxes directly upon mixing. Vigorously stir with a spoon by hand to start. Then switch to the hand blender.

Step 5: Once the mixture is fully mixed and emulsified (usually about 2 to 3 minutes), take the temperature and add the preservative and fragrance. For Germaben II, Optiphen and Phenonip preservatives, you want the temperature to be below 140 degrees. Usage rates of all three of these preservatives start at .5% by weight. Fragrance and essential oil usage for lotions is very low (remember, you don’t want to inadvertently make a perfume!) so start small. This recipe literally calls for .2 ounces of essential oil and that is more than enough to make a lovely smelling lotion and get the therapeutic benefits of all the oils. Notice the blue color of the azulene in the powerful German Chamomile? That’s some pure healing goodness.

Step 6: Pour into prepared bottles while the mixture is still warm. If the mixture is too thick to pour, heat it up for 30 seconds in the microwave and stir. Repeat as needed until it’s thin enough to pour. If the temperature during re-heating goes above 140, you’ll need to add an additional .5% preservative.

Step 7: Allow to cool with the lids off. Then put on lids and label and impress your friends and loved ones with your handmade goodness. Remind them to wear sunscreen next time.

Check back tomorrow for after sun care spritzers.

When Mold Strikes

September 12, 2008 Filed Under: Lotion

Mold Growth 2 Months after Mold Discovery

Initial Mold Growth, 4 months after product was purchased

I get asked, a lot, about preservatives in lotions. The post about Organic & Natural standards prompted Shelly to ask about Bramble Berry’s official stance on preservatives in the “Comments” section of the post. The question about preservative is probably the number one asked question here at Bramble Berry. My standard answer always goes something like:

“I really wish there was a failsafe way for you to use only natural preservatives in your lotions. If there was, I’m betting the really big guys would be using them more. The truth is that right now, there are a lot of great antioxidants like ROE or Vitamin E on the market but the natural-natural preservatives just coming into vogue aren’t ideal for the home crafter.

Germaben II or Phenonip is used as less than 1% of the total ingredient in your lotion. I think that people probably do more damage to themselves by carrying around an extra few pounds or eating a Twinkie once a month than they do by having that 1% of preservative in their product.

Plus, if anything were to happen (shudder), you might end up growing a microbe in your lotion that actually harmed someone.”

Bramble Berry’s official position on preservatives is that for the home crafter, a full spectrum anti microbial such as Germaben II or Phenonip is the most safe and responsible way to preserve lotions.

Imagine my surprise and dismay when a chic-chic body cream I purchased at (throat clear) “A Big Name Salon in Seattle” started molding and growing hairs! Ewwww … I checked the ingredients list. Sure enough, there are awesome antioxidants (Honeysuckle Extract & Vitamin E) but no effective preservatives.

I called the manufacturer to let them know, figuring they’d want to know how I stored the lotion (on my desk), how old it was (three months since date of purchase) and if there was a batch number on it (there wasn’t). They graciously replaced the lotion.

Play it safe and use a preservative in your lotion products until natural preservatives become easy and efficient to use for home crafters.

Making Skin Firming Cream

October 13, 2007 Filed Under: Lotion

Crothix has skin firming properties (at least according to the hype). We have a recipe submitted by a reader at TeachSoap.com. It’s meant to help firm skin because of the addition of Crothix. Bramble Berry customer, Jo H. wrote because she was having some problems with the recipe. Since we couldn’t diagnose the problem via email, we decided to make the recipe ourselves.

Here’s all the items set out, ready to make some skin firming lotion!

The recipe that Teach Soap has posted:

Distilled Water 13 oz.
Glycerin .5 oz.
Emulsifying Wax or Ceteryl Alcohol 1 oz.
CroThix .7 oz.
Jojoba Oil .6 oz.
Germaben II or Phenonip .16 oz.
Fragrance or Essential Oil .16 – .50 oz.

I modified it and used only 10 oz. of water since Jo said her recipe was turning out watery and runny.
Directions: Put the oils and waxes in one container and melt thoroughly. Heat the glycerin and water in another container. The ideal temperature is about 170 degrees.

Once the products are completely melted, add the oils and waxes to the heated water and glycerin. The product will start to emulsify immediately and turn white.
In my experiment, the waxes started to harden up far too quickly. The waxes got clumpy and started being difficult. The waters and oils started separating. Maybe this is what happened to Jo H. as well(?). I tossed the entire recipe into the microwave for 30 seconds and then straight into the blender. Notice the water at the bottom and the waxes and oils at the top.

A quick blend of the blender solved that problem! The creme thickened up immediately! There is a lot of water is in the batch. The emulsification system of Crothix and E-W ax is powerful to gel all of that water into a lotion.

I added German Blue Chamomile Essential Oil to the recipe for its skin calming properties. It turned the lotion a lovely blue.

The recipe ended up producing 4 nice bottles of lotion and the original recipe cost less than $2 in materials to make.

From start to finish, it took less than 30 minutes to assemble the ingredients, make the lotion and clean up. If you’re interested in trying to make lotions, we have two kits at Bramble Berry located here.