Ecocert Approved Preservatives (exclusive)

taralee
Sep 28, 2023
5 min read

I get questions about ecocert preservatives all the time. Probably because I don't use them too often, but I am trying to make it a habit of using them more. I usually stick with liquid germall plus because I'm making new products all the time and I want to use a preservative that is inexpensive, easy to use, solubilizes in water easily, doesn't destabilize emulsions, & won't cause any unexpected surprises in my formulas. It's also stable in pH levels between 3-8. So it will work for most formulas.

People always want me to recommend a preservative that will work for most of their products, liquid germall plus is definitely the guy for that. It doesn't work for anhydrous(oil based products) formulas though. It is water soluble, not oil soluble. Also, if you aren't too familiar with preservatives it would probably be a good idea to visit my first post on preservatives.

Tristate Eco

INCI: Benzyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Caprylate and Glyceryl Undecylenate

broad spectrum preservative is permitted for natural & organic cosmetics (COSMOS & ECOCERT)

suggested use level; 1.0 - 1.6%, up to 2% in more complex and contaminable formulations

appearance: clear, pale yellow liquid

effective pH range: 4 - 8

solubility: very soluble in alcohol, glycerin, glycols and polar oils, very slightly soluble in water. (read more on solubility here)

has a slight almond scent, but doesn't seem to come through in final product.
can be used in leave on and rinse off products.
may tolerate process heating to 80°C for approx. 30 minutes, exposure to prolonged high thermal exposure is not recommended and the use of the lowest possible temperature is suggested.
is stable to temperature near 0°C.
makes watery solutions like toners cloudy. mix with equal parts polysorbate 20 to not be foggy.
effective in anionic, cationic, & non ionic formulas
can find on lotioncrafter & voyagersoapandcandle

Euxyl K 903

INCI: Benzyl Alcohol (and) Benzoic Acid (and) Dehydroacetic Acid (and) Tocopherol

broad spectrum preservative is permitted for natural & organic cosmetics (COSMOS & ECOCERT)

suggested use level (lotioncrafter): 0.4% - 1.2%

suggested use level (FSS): 0.75% - 1.5%, no more than 2%

appearance: Light yellow to dark yellow liquid (can vary batch to batch)

effective pH range: 3 - 6. Efficacy is increased by reducing the pH value of the final formulation. lotioncrafter recommends a pH of 5.0 or 5.5 or lower.

solubility: has limited solubility in water. 100 g of water at 68°F/20°C dissolves 1.2 g of euxyl K 903. In polar solvents, such as 1,2-propylene glycol, propanol or acetone, euxyl K 903 is readily soluble. In polyalcohols, such as glycerol and sorbitol, euxyl K 903 is moderately soluble. In aliphates with hydrophilic groups, such as 2-octyldecanol and isopropyl myristate, euxyl K 903 has limited solubility. It is slightly soluble in pure aliphatic solvents.

no scent that comes through in final product.
for use in leave on and rinse off products and in wet wipes.
prolonged heating periods greater than 176°F/80°C should be avoided. recommended to add during the cool down phase.
doesn't cause watery solutions to turn cloudy
effective in anionic, cationic, & non ionic formulas. FSS specifically says euxyl k 903 "is particularly effective in non ionic systems."
can find on lotioncrafter and FSS

Geogard ECT aka Preservative Eco

INCI: Benzyl Alcohol & Salicylic Acid & Glycerin & Sorbic Acid

broad spectrum preservative is permitted for natural & organic cosmetics (COSMOS & ECOCERT)

suggested use level: 0.6–1.0%

appearance: clear, colorless to light brownish liquid

effective pH range: 3 – 8

solubility: not completely water soluble especially in toner formulations.

has a strong almond scent that you can smell in your final product.
for use in leave on and rinse off products
add into cool down phase for heated formulas
add at a temperature of 113°F/45°C or below
gentle enough to add to products intended for use on the lips and eyes
doesn't cause watery solutions to cloud
effective in anionic, cationic, & non ionic formulas.
can find on essentialwholesale, voyagersoapandcandleusa, & FSS

Experiment 1

I combined the maximum usage rate for each preservative with room temperature water and mixed then let sit over night. As expected, none of the preservatives evenly mixed into the water. See video for details.

Experiment 2

I mixed each preservative with 10% glycerin before adding in water.

1.5% Euxyl k 903
10% glycerin
88.5% distilled water

- solution was clear, but the Euxyl K 903 chunked up and did not mix into water

1.6% Tristate Eco
10% glycerin
88.4% distilled water

- solution became cloudy and the Tristate ECO settled to the top

1% Geogard ECT
10% glycerin
89% distilled water

- looks like it mixed in evenly, but is cloudy so can't tell for sure

Experiment 3

I mixed each preservative with equal parts polysorbate 20 and 10% glycerin before adding in water.

1.5% Euxyl k 903
1.5% Polysorbate 20
10% glycerin
87% distilled water

- solution was clear and Euxyl K 903 looked to be mixed in

1.6% Tristate Eco
1.6% Polysorbate 20
10% glycerin
86.8% distilled water

- solution became clear unlike the one with only glycerin and looks completely mixed in

1% Geogard ECT
1% Polysorbate 20
10% glycerin
88% distilled water

- looks cloudy, but not as cloudy as the one with only glycerin. Is completely solubilized into solution

Experiment 4

I mixed each preservative with equal parts poly suga mulse D9 which is an ecoceret approved solubilizer and 10% glycerin before adding in water.

1.5% Euxyl k 903
1.5% Poly Suga Mulse D9
10% glycerin
87% distilled water

- solution was clear and Euxyl K 903 looked to be mixed in

1.6% Tristate Eco
1.6% Poly Suga Mulse D9
10% glycerin
86.8% distilled water

- solution became cloudy but preservative is solubilized into solution

1% Geogard ECT
1% Poly Suga Mulse D9
10% glycerin
88% distilled water

- looks cloudy, but not as cloudy as the one with only glycerin, but more cloudy than the polysorbate 20 one.

Experiment 5

I mixed each preservative with 5% glycerin then added in the water and mixed then added in 5% AOS 40 and 10% cocamidopropyl betaine.

1.5% Euxyl K 903
5% Glycerin
78.5% Distilled water
10% Cocamidopropyl Betaine
5% AOS 40

- solution was clear and Euxyl K 903 was solubilized

1.6% Tristate Eco
5% Glycerin
78.4% Distilled water
10% Cocamidopropyl Betaine
5% AOS 40

- solution was clear, but still not quite as clear as the Euxyl K 903 one. Preservative was solubilized.

1% Geogard ECT
5% Glycerin
79% Distilled water
10% Cocamidopropyl Betaine
5% AOS 40

- solution was clear and Geogard ECT was solubilized

Note: Surfactants can help solubilize small amounts of oil like fragrance oils, along with other water insoluble ingredients. Experiments should always be done with whatever surfactant you choose to use though.

Experiment 6

I did a basic emulsion with each preservative. Weighed the water and oil phase in two separate beakers. Heated and then used an immersion blender. Once cooled I added each preservative directly into the lotion and then mixed.

Euxyl K 903

water phase

5% glycerin
78.5% distilled water

oil phase

5% emulsifying wax NF
10% sunflower oil

cool down phase

1.5% Euxyl K 903

- Fully mixed in easily. Didn't cause any destabilizing in my emulsion. This lotion was thicker than the rest. Results may vary depending on your formula and as you increase your batch size results may change. Always experiment before making a large batch emulsion results can change with just one ingredient change.

Tristate ECO

water phase

5% glycerin
78.4% distilled water

oil phase

5% emulsifying wax NF
10% sunflower oil

cool down phase

1.6% Tristate ECO

- Fully mixed in easily. Didn't cause any destabilizing in my emulsion. This lotion was thinner than all the other lotions. Has a strong scent of almond that will be difficult to cover up. Smells really good though. Results may vary depending on your formula and as you increase your batch size results may change. Always experiment before making a large batch emulsion results can change with just one ingredient change.

Geogard ECT

water phase

5% glycerin
79% distilled water

oil phase

5% emulsifying wax NF
10% sunflower oil

cool down phase

1% Geogard ECT

- Fully mixed in easily. Didn't cause any destabilizing in my emulsion. A little thinner than the Euxyl K 903 one. Results may vary depending on your formula and as you increase your batch size results may change. Always experiment before making a large batch emulsion results can change with just one ingredient change.

Notes;

You don't need any solubilizers or solvents when using these preservative in surfactant containing products like face washes, body washes, and emulsions. The surfactants with solubilize the preservative.
Polysorbate 20 can help clear some solutions.
you may get foggy watery solutions with poly suga mulse D9