VIKTORIA POTKO

Marketing manager, Minasolve, Belgium

The cosmetic industry is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by increasing consumer scrutiny of product ingredients and a fundamental shift in beauty standards. Once focused primarily on product performance, today’s consumers evaluate cosmetics not only for their efficacy but also for ingredient transparency, ethical sourcing, and environmental impact — all without compromising on effectiveness. When it comes to business, the market has seen 27,000+ new FMCG product launches with at least one sustainability claim since January 2023 (1). Studies show that product efficacy, safety, and authenticity remain top priorities, with 85% of consumers willing to pay more for beauty products with proven benefits (2). Key purchasing drivers now include the presence of natural and organic ingredients, sustainable sourcing practices and product innovation. This growing awareness has heightened concerns over the environmental impact of cosmetic ingredients, particularly preservatives, which play a vital role in ensuring product safety and stability. In response, the industry is shifting its focus toward preservation systems that balance performance with sustainability, addressing the demand for more sustainable, ethical and efficient cosmetic formulations.

Cosmetic products, like any formulation containing water and organic or inorganic compounds, need effective preservation to prevent microbial contamination, ensuring consumer safety and extending shelf life. Whether stored on a shelf or actively used by consumers, cosmetic products must be safeguarded against potential microbial contamination and growth. Cosmetic preservatives market size exceeded USD 980 million in 2021 and is estimated to grow at over 8% CAGR between 2022 and 2028 (3). The global natural cosmetic preservatives market is projected to exceed USD 640 million by 2028 (4), driven by the growing use of natural ingredients in cosmetic formulations. The rising availability of natural alternatives to synthetic preservatives, coupled with increasing consumer awareness of the potential harm caused by chemical ingredients, is expected to boost demand for these products.

In the past, preservatives like parabens and phenoxyethanol were essential for ensuring product safety, but concerns about their potential risks have led to growing interest in natural alternatives. Among the most promising solutions are green multifunctional ingredients, which offer a dual benefit of preserving the product’s shelf life while enhancing the overall skincare experience. These multifunctional ingredients not only provide product protection but also align with the broader consumer demand for cleaner and more efficient beauty products. As a result, the cosmetic industry is embracing a new era of preservation that emphasizes sustainability and effectiveness while not compromising consumer trust.

The most common approach to product protection today involves the use of antimicrobial agents, which can be synthetic, naturally derived, or combined with multifunctional ingredients. While preservatives are often considered a relatively modern development from the latter half of the 20th century, their use dates back thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians, known for their advanced cosmetic practices, incorporated copper sulfate in their eyeshadows — an early example of a preservative (5).

Today’s preservatives for cosmetic and personal care products are far more sophisticated and effective. Regulatory frameworks like the EU’s Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 ensure the safe use of preservatives, allowing small quantities to protect large volumes of products over extended periods. Current validation of preservation systems requires adherence to good manufacturing practices (GMP), raw material quality control, and verification of preservative efficacy through methodologies like the challenge test (6).

Preservatives approved by regulatory bodies include parabens, isothiazolinones, organic acids, formaldehyde releasers, or halogenated compounds such as triclosan and chlorhexidine — each with distinct antimicrobial mechanisms depending on their chemical structure and functional groups (7). Product degradation can result from microbial contamination or exposure to atmospheric oxygen. To prevent this, two main categories of protecting agents are used: antimicrobial preservatives, which inhibit microbial growth, and antioxidants, which prevent oxidation and the formation of free radicals (8).

Among the preservatives, parabens remain widely used due to their effectiveness against a broad spectrum of bacteria and fungi and their stability across a wide pH range. However, their use has sparked controversy due to concerns about their potential estrogenic activity, prompting a growing interest in safer and more sustainable alternatives. In response, natural preservatives offer a promising alternative, providing effective protection against fungi and bacteria while supporting safety claims.

The introduction of multifunctional ingredients in cosmetics marked a significant advancement in preservation and formulation strategies. In the early 1990s, the first multifunctional ingredients began to emerge, offering benefits beyond product protection. Among most common ingredients that can be used as product protectors with additional skin care benefits are Pentylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glyceryl Caprylate, and some others (9).

These so-called 1,2-alkanediols, with carbon chain lengths ranging from C5 to C10, are often used alongside other chemically distinct compounds such as hydroxyacetophenone or naturally derived alcohols like phenylpropanol. All these substances quickly gained attention for their ability to provide multiple benefits, such as moisturizing, stabilizing, and enhancing product texture, while also contributing to microbial protection(10). Their versatility and generally favourable safety profiles made them an appealing alternative to traditional preservatives.

Several studies have reported that 1,2-alkanediols show increasing anti-microbial activity as their alkane chain length increases (11). 1,2-Alkanediols such as 1,2-pentanediol (C5), 1,2-hexanediol (C6), or 1,2-octanediol (C8) are frequently used in cosmetic applications because of their excellent moisturizing properties, emollient properties, and effectiveness as a solvent. Additionally, these aliphatic 1,2-diols possess anti-microbial activity (12).

While 1,2-alkanediols rarely occur in nature (13), advancements in technology now enable their production through biofermentation and green chemistry processes. These naturally derived ingredients help formulators reduce preservative levels or provide broad-spectrum natural protection in appropriate applications (14).

Today, natural antimicrobial systems in cosmetic formulations must meet several key criteria (15):

• Effectiveness: Delivering reliable protection.
• Compatibility: Working seamlessly with other formula ingredients.
• Safety: Gentle and non-irritating for the skin.
• Regulatory Compliance: Meeting global safety standards.
• Sustainability: Sourced responsibly and renewably.

Though multifunctional ingredients may require careful combination for broad-spectrum protection, they offer a flexible approach for creating the perfect balance of safety and performance.