Next generation cosmetic preservative launched

Speciality chemical company, Clariant, has launched Velsan® Flex, a preservation booster for both traditional and natural formulations.

The 93% RCI (Renewable Carbon Index) innovation is highly versatile and effective in combination with all preservative types, enabling a reduction of typical preservative by as much as 50%, while still achieving safe antimicrobial protection for cosmetics.

Say the Clariant team: “Preservation is essential to the safety and longevity of cosmetics products. But it comes with many practical concerns for formulators due to heavy regulation and public scrutiny of ingredients. Formulations with water and water/oil content can become easily contaminated with bacteria, yeast and mould, however the number of approved preservatives currently considered safe for use has fallen considerably. Plus, not every preservative is suitable for every format. At the same time, there are increasing calls for less preservative use as well as a desire for natural ingredient alternatives, although both avenues deliver generally weaker performance.

“Velsan Flex offers formulators effective all-round support to these challenges. It ensures antimicrobial protection with up to 50% less traditional preservative, such as Benzoic acid, Benzyl alcohol or Phenoxyethanol, for a broad range of cosmetic formulations. It overcomes the challenges of clear applications with extremely high water content, as in the case of micellar gel, those with both high water and active content, as for a tonic water formulation, and in clear aqueous formulations containing oil and fragrances with low preservative load, such as a nourishing shower gel.”