Preservatives
Once water is introduced to the list of ingredients in a cosmetic product, it needs a preservative if we want it to stay fresh and safe. This is because microorganisms grow readily in water. There's a lot of misinformation out there and differing opinions about the use of preservatives. You can read what Mayhem by Nature thinks of preservatives in this blog post. We made the decision to use preservatives in our products for your safey. With much research, we found a few natural preservatives that we felt comfortable using.
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Before we go on to list these preservatives, we want to share an organization that we think is worth taking a look into.
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ECOCERT primarily certifies food and food products, but also certifies cosmetics, detergents, perfumes, and textiles. The company inspects about 70% of the organic food industry in France and about 30% worldwide. ECOCERT is also a leading certifier of fair trade food, cosmetics and textiles as per ECOCERT Fair Trade standards.
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Mayhem by Nature has chosen to use preservatives that have been ECOCERT approved.
Preservative Eco
Other trade names include Mikrokill ECT, Geogard ECT and Plantaserv M.
It is a non-paraben, non-formaldehyde, non-isothiazolone based preservative system. It is a widely accepted broad spectrum preservative that protects against the growth of bacteria, mold and yeast. Cruelty Free and Vegan Friendly. This is a broad spectrum preservative which contains four different components: Benzyl Alcohol, Salicylic Acid, Glycerin and Sorbic Acid. These molecules are all found in nature in plants such as pine resin, rowan berries and willow bark.
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Geogard 221 / Cosgard
Non-paraben, non-formaldehyde, non isothiazolone based preservative system. Broad spectrum anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, it, therefore, stops the spread of bacteria, yeasts, and molds. It is is a synergistic blend of an organic acid and alcohol. This preservative contains Dehydroacetic Acid and Benzyl Alcohol. Both are organic compounds which are accepted for use in natural cosmetics.
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Gluconolactone SB
Broad spectrum natural perservation system. It comes in powder form and will not jeopardize stability like most of the other natural or alternative preservatives. It is a combination of a naturally occurring food additive glucono delta lactone and food grade preservative sodium benzoate, which is the sodium salt of benzoic acid, along with a trace amount of calcium gluconate as a processing agent.
*Causes PH drift
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TRIstat Eco
TRIstat ECO- Benzyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Caprylate and Glyceryl Undecylenate is a broad spectrum preservative blend based on nature identical and nature derived ingredients for the protection of natural and traditional cosmetics in a wide pH range. It is a synergistic combination of benzyl alcohol with glyceryl monoesters that boost the preservative action and add emolliency. TRIstat ECO is gentle to the skin and is active against bacteria, yeasts & molds. Colorless, with very mild odor, it is effective in the pH range of 4 to 8.
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Geogard Ultra
Geogard Ultra- Gluconolactone (and) Sodium Benzoate, helps prevent product spoilage by utilizing less aggressive “Hurdle Technology” to create a more hostile environment within the formulation for microbes to overcome. NeoDefend’s potentiators help create such hurdles, helping to increase the self-preservation of formulations. Consisting of a blend of gluconolactone, sodium benzoate and calcium gluconate, it offers broad spectrum protection in cosmetic and personal care formulations.
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