Preservatives

In every hair product formulation, there is some form of preservative to help prevent the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and yeast. Preservatives are essential, as they help maintain the safety and integrity of a product, ensuring it's free from contamination, especially in formulations that contain water, as this can create an environment for microbial growth.

 

Hair preservatives work by inhibiting or killing microorganisms that may be present in the product. This helps prevent product spoilage, odor development, and the potential for infections or irritations when the product is used on the hair and scalp.

 

Preservatives can be categorized based on their chemical composition and use:

 

Alcohols: Alcohols have antimicrobial properties and are sometimes used as preservatives in hair care formulations. Examples: Ethanol, Isopropyl Alcohol, and Benzyl Alcohol. 

 

Formaldehyde releasers: These preservatives release small amounts of formaldehyde over time to inhibit microbial growth. Examples: DMDM hydantoin, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Diazolidinyl Urea, and Quaternium-15.

 

Isothiazolinones: This category of preservatives has potent antimicrobial activity against bacteria. Examples: Methylisothiazolinone (MIT) and Methylchloroisothiazolinone (CMIT) (These two are often used together to create a preservative system with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. 

 

Organic acids: Organic acids such as benzoic acid, sorbic acid, and their salts (sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate) are effective against yeast and mold.

 

Parabens: Parabens are a group of preservatives that includes methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben. They are widely used due to their broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against bacteria and fungi.

 

Other preservatives such as Phenoxyethanol and Chlorphenesin aren't categorized in the above-mentioned but also work to fight bacteria. Some preservatives are multifunctional such as Ethylhexylglycerin which acts as a preservative, conditioning agent, and antimicrobial enhancer. Overall, preservatives are necessary to maintain the safety and stability of hair care products and generally don't affect the hair, however, they may cause sensitivity to some with allergies or sensitive scalps.