Industry must address solutions to preservatives rather than just constant bans, says L’Oréal

Sylvie Cupferman, International Manager Microbiology at the French cosmetics maker, says that with preservatives under so much scrutiny right now, with the use of many being restricted or banned, we need a more realistic risk assessment approach for these ingredients.

“We need an EU and global strategy to maintain and possibly increase the palette of suitable preservatives for cosmetics,”​ she said at the in-cosmetics Formulation Summit in London.

“It is difficult when the bans keep coming, but there are no necessary alternatives or solutions being announced.”​

Consumer health issue​

According to Cupferman, inadequate preservation is seen as a consumer health issue as product preservation is both an ethical and regulatory obligation for manufacturers, in order to ensure the product microbiological quality safety.

With the use of preservatives in cosmetics being restricted or banned over the last few years, and many others now under scrutiny, she says it has become increasingly difficult to preserve the wide range of products on the market.

“Preservatives are key for consumer benefit – They are necessary and we need a wide palette of suitable ones available,”​ Sylvie continues.

“We need to develop risk assessment approaches and methodologies specific for these ingredients…​ [and] we need to stop one-by-one loss of preservative ingredients (to banning).”​

At present in Europe only preservatives on Annex V can be used, and Cupferman explains that choosing an adequate preservative is a complex science as each product needs a tailor-made solution: Efficacy; Range of pH; Stability; Compatibility; and Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC).

Preservative use​

Preservatives are added to cosmetics to prevent spoilage, whether from microbial growth or undesirable chemical changes.

They have come under scrutiny over safety fears; however, without preservatives, cosmetic products, just like food, can become contaminated, leading to product spoilage and possibly irritation or infections.

Microbial contamination of products, especially those used around the eyes and on the skin, can cause significant problems.

Antimicrobials prevent the growth of moulds, yeasts, and bacteria. Antioxidants keep personal care products from becoming rancid or brown, or developing black spots, and also minimize the damage to some essential ingredients or materials that are especially susceptible to oxidative damage.