Guest guest Posted December 16, 2003 Report Share Posted December 16, 2003 Personally I do not formulate a product without a preservative. In the instance of lip balm, I make it without a preservative on request only, and with warnings not to share it with others or put it on cracked or broken skin. In the case of bar soap, it would be pointless to add preservative because all of the preservative systems I am familiar with would never stand up to the alkaline conditions of soap making. Soap, by its very nature is anti-bacterial and it is also a wash off product. The big potential danger lies in products that are vulnerable to becoming growth mediums for bacteria that are applied to the body and left on. The goal of a lip balm preservative is not to kill bacteria in our mouth, it is to keep the bacterial growth in the product from progressing to a point where it will overwhelm the natural defenses we have. Keep in mind that many people will put the product on cracked or irritated skin which is especially vulnerable. As to preservatives causing more problems than they prevent, that is something that is purely opinion and based on no data at all. That's like saying that penicillin causes more problems than it cures because some people are allergic to it. I truly believe there is a greater danger from the well-intentioned who want to eliminate preservatives based on annecdotal experience than from those who take the time to thoroughly examine the scientific data to make an educated decision. I do agree that the anti-bacterial liquid soaps are way over used, but there are those instances when they are appropriate. But there is a big difference in an anti-bacterial product that is designed to destroy surface bacteria and a preservative that is included in a product to prevent microbial growth. Joanne Harper's Garden -----Original Message----- I for one, would like to hear from others [the 1000 +] members on this list who seldome or never post, rather than just our resident chemist who seems to be the only one answering questions on this group. I am sure there are others who have ideas and references to share with this group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.