Evaluation of preservative efficacies of some unused cosmetic products

Abstract

Background and Aims: Cosmetics must be free of pathogenic microorganisms, and the total aerobic microbial count needs to be within acceptable limits. Methods: In this study, preservative efficacies of ten commercially available cosmetic products were investigated against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas putida, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Burkholderia cepacia, which were isolated from contaminated cosmetic products. Results: According to our results, all products preservatives did not comply with the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) method recommended antimicrobial preservative activity criteria against at least one studied bacteria. Conclusion: Consequently, according to our results, preservatives of unused cosmetic products can be ineffective against bacteria, especially bacteria isolated from cosmetics.