Skin Care Secrets Revealed: Using Tinctures as Preservatives

By Kolbjorn Borseth

Many bigger natural cosmetics companies in Europe, and especially Germany, are using tinctures as preservatives in their products. This has been a real secret and the companies don't need to declare any preservatives on the label but instead can market it as preservative-free. If you want to use a tincture as the only preservative in your product, then the tincture has to make up at least 15% of that product.

There are, however, different conditions that must be met if you want to go down this route, namely:

• You need to have very high hygienic production and packing standards.
• You need to boil water for 10-15 minutes before using them in your product, or use distilled water.
• You need to package your products in containers that nobody can get their fingers into, as this is the easiest way to contaminate your products. Packaging you products in containers that have a pump cap or a plastic tube dispenser is the best solution for this purpose. Click here for our Containers.
• Lastly, the tincture you are using has to have an alcohol percentage of at least 96%. Vodka with a 46-50% alcohol content is just not enough. To acquire 96% alcohol, you could apply to HMRC (Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs) so that you can buy the alcohol yourself. I have a got a qualified producer, who makes a strong 96% Calendula Tincture that is based on organic calendula and organic grain alcohol.

Precautions about using tinctures as preservatives:

• Using herbal infusions or decoctions in your products would be too big a challenge with this preservative method.
• When thinking about using this method for face creams/lotions consider that alcohol dries out the skin; so if you're making a cream/lotions for dry/sensitive skin then compensate for the extra alcohol by adding extra fats and oils.
• When using this method for any sensitive skin, be aware that this skin type does not tolerate too much alcohol on the skin.
• However, this method works well for products treating oily/combination skin as this skin type needs drying out (which the alcohol does).
• Be aware that alcohol destroys the 'emulsifier bonds' and cam make creams much thinner. Add more emulsifiers if using high quantities of alcohol in your formulas.
• Using this method will make gels thinner. Add more thickening agent e.g. xanthan gum.
• Shampoos and liquid soaps would be quite easy to preserve with this method as long as you don't use herbal infusions or decoctions as well. Detergent-based products such as shampoos and liquid soaps (that contain no infusions or decoctions) can keep 3-6 months without any added preservatives anyway. The detergents in shampoos will be thinned if you use 15% alcohol (tincture) instead of 15% water; add more sea salt or guar gum to compensate.
• You'll need to package your products in tamper-proof containers that don't let air in too much or allow for touching the product, such as pump-capped bottles, squeeze bottles with flip-top lids or spray-capped bottles.
• You must take personal responsibility for using this natural preservative method. Before selling products commercially using this method be prudent, make small test batches first and have them challenge-tested in a laboratory before making bigger quantities and selling them to clients or to the public. Aromantic cannot take responsibility for this method. Using our calendula tincture, which is based on 96% alcohol gives you a better chance though.
• Click here to download our Useful Contacts PDF document.