Preservatives are chemical compounds added to products to prevent the growth of microorganisms. They are intended to be added to clean products to prevent contamination by consumers while in use.
They are not intended to make up for poor production hygiene or the use of contaminated raw materials and should not be used to treat contaminated products.
Microorganisms
The microorganisms that may be encountered in personal care products are divided into two main groups, bacteria and fungi. Bacteria are further divided into two subgroups, Gram-positive or Gram-negative, based on variations in the bacterial cell structure. Bacteria prefer a neutral to slightly alkaline environment and must have available water to be able to grow. Fungi are further divided into yeasts and moulds. Yeasts grow as single-celled organisms while the moulds are multicelled and grow large enough to be visible to the naked eye. The moulds have an absolute requirement for oxygen so are usually only found on the surface of product. The fungi prefer a neutral to slightly acid environment and also must have available water for growth. The moulds can grow with lower available water than the other organisms and are often found contaminating the semi dried remnants on the sides of containers. The effects of growth of microorganisms in personal care products include odour production, pH shift, viscosity change, visible surface growth or colour change. These make the product unusable and may result in a recall of the affected batch. The growth of pathogenic organisms may also have public health implications such as causing wound or eye infections from the use of contaminated products.
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