Cosmetics And Microbiology: Chances Of Microbial Growth In Products, Importance Of Cosmetic Testing,

By Author: Dolly
Total Articles: 35
Comment this article

Cosmetics play a vital role in human beings with its usage increasing day by day. Cosmetics are also not getting respite from getting contaminated by the microorganisms like S.aureus, Pseudomonas, and Candida etc. The cosmetics preservation is done by the addition of several chemical preservatives but it is not very effective against microorganisms. Cosmetic microbiology became important in 1940 and the first contamination was reported during the year 1946. It is a matter of great importance to the whole industry and it can become a major reason for both product as well as economic losses. In addition to that contamination of cosmetics can lead to products getting hazardous for customers. The water and the nutrients that are present in cosmetics make them highly susceptible to all kinds of microbial growth. Most of the time, these microorganisms are the result of organoleptic alterations like offensive odours and variation in viscosity as well as colour.

All cosmetic firms are legally responsible to ensure that their products are safe. Different ways through which cosmetics become contaminated by microorganisms are contaminated ...
... raw materials or other ingredients, bad manufacturing conditions, ingredients that facilitate microorganism growth, poor storage conditions along with customer use.

Different requirements for the microbiological examination of the cosmetic products were established from the microbiological risk analysis that is carried out for determination of the kind of cosmetic product. The microbiological risk href="https://cosmoally.com/">cosmetic analysis testing includes taking into consideration the kind of user, application site, important changes of the cosmetic products along with the pathogenicity of microorganism.

For better regulation of limiting the microbial contamination in cosmetics, all products have been divided into different categories based on which quantitative specifications have been made. These specifications mainly include the total number of viable counts for microorganisms that are allowed in cosmetics. Microbiological durability also depends on the composition of the product, preservative contents, hygiene level maintained in the manufacturing unit, storage, packaging etc. Water is required for microbial growth and water-based cosmetics mostly have limited durability. At the time of manufacture, there is a high possibility that contamination might occur at the time of production and filling. Raw materials also make a big contribution to microbial contamination. Therefore, it is required to test the raw materials before use specifically those products which are of natural origin. Water must also be tested for microbial growth and it might be needed to sterilize the deionized water for obtaining maximum purity.

The method to detect the microbial contamination in cosmetic products, as well as their raw materials, depends on the traditional method of plate counts. But very little is known about the metabolic state of the microorganisms that are residing in cosmetic products or any of the specific areas of the manufacturing plant. Although several novel methods like bioluminescence, cytometry and impedance are also reliable for detecting microorganisms in cosmetics. 

Testing of cosmetic products is extremely important for maintaining safe usage and efficacy. Different kinds of testing include physical, chemical and microbiological testing, preservative efficacy testing, along with stability and compatibility testing.