Booster for Preservatives

The topic of preservation is always of importance to formulators and finished goods marketers. Formulators are aware of the necessity to adequately preserve their products in order to ensure product safety and be in compliance with legislation. This task is made much more difficult when marketing requirements are added to the factors influencing the preservative choice. Demands such as global approval, soft preservation, “free of…”, etc. have limited the number of acceptable actives.

To minimise the amount of preservative actives, synergistic mixtures have been developed:
• Combinations of preservative actives
• Addition of multifunctional actives to boost the antimicrobial effect
• Addition of chelating agents
• Combination of multifunctional actives to achieve self-preserving systems

Properties of wet cleaning wipes in relation to their intended use such as: soil removal capacity; antistatic properties; streak-free shine; etc., become self-evident. Environmental acceptability, including the sustainable use of raw materials, is becoming a decisive factor to customers.
The synergistic combination of benzisothiazolone (BIT), methylisothiazolinone (MIT) and bis(3-aminopropyl)dodecylamine (BDA) » parmetol^® MBX - has been shown to minimize the level of biocidal actives needed for preservation. With this new sustainable “full-life” protection concept, it is possible to control waterborne contaminations and microbially polluted natural nonwovens by adding a single optimized dosage of preservative. Along with the economic and product safety improvements, this approach fulfils the demands for eco-labels like European Flower, White Swan and even from the German Öko Test magazine.

sensiva^® SC 50 (Ethylhexylglycerin) is a globally approved, versatile and multifunctional additive, as well as a very effective deodorant active. As an emollient and mild humectant, sensiva^® SC 50 improves the skin feel of cosmetic formulations. It reliably inhibits the growth and multiplication of odour causing bacteria, while at the same time not adversely affecting the beneficial skin flora. Additionally, it can boost the efficacy of traditional preservatives and act as an antimicrobial stabiliser when used in combination with other cosmetic ingredients. sensiva^® SC 50 has a surfactant-like structure. Due to this structure, it affects the interfacial tension at the cell membrane of microorganisms, allowing some active ingredients, such as antimicrobials and preservative actives, to penetrate more effectively.

Chelating agents can be used to increase the efficacy of antimicrobial substances. They remove multivalent cations from the cell membrane of the microbes by forming complexes, weakening the outer surface and make them more vulnerable for biocidal attack.