New packaging to reduce cosmetic preservatives

Para-hydroxy-benzoates, or parabens, are common preservatives used to prevent growth of contaminating microorganisms, particularly in cosmetics. EU legislature is driving the demand for more natural and preservative-free cosmetics and, as such, alternative solutions are being researched.

The ACTICOSPACK (Reducing the levels of preservatives in cosmetic products through active packaging technologies) initiative aimed to develop active packaging containing these preservatives in order to reduce the amount of preservatives used in cosmetics. The project focused on developing such packaging for shampoo, sun lotion and facial creams.

In the first stages of the project different preservative systems were evaluated and eight were chosen for further testing. Researchers tested these for antimicrobial effectiveness against target microorganisms, providing information such as the most effective systems and the minimum concentration required. ACTICOSPACK also assessed the chemical stability and cytotoxicity of the preservatives in the cosmetic matrix.

The next stages of the project worked to combine the shortlisted preservative systems with cosmetic packaging requirements and industrial processing technologies. The target package for each product varied: polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle for shampoo, polypropylene (PP) or high-density polyethylene (PE) bottle for sun lotion, and skincare cream.

In the case of the PET bottle, researchers found that including the preservative led to poor physical properties. To address this, ACTICOSPACK added a polymer resin layer containing a preservative to the PET bottle.

Overall, the project produced and tested more than 150 different combinations of packaging material and preservative. By the end of the project, several active packaging products were found to have better antimicrobial performance than the commercially available alternatives.

This work will hopefully provide a more natural and safe solution to preserving cosmetics, as well as increase product shelf life and profitability.