Just a smidge of information I've learned about preservatives...

I keep reading about all the confusion people have about preservatives.
This is a little tid bit of what I've learned over the last few years in my qwest to figure them out.
And if anyone want's to correct me, go right ahead. I'm no expert in this field but this is just what I have learned and I might not have learned anything right.

As I see it all our products should have a preservative in them. Oils need to be preserved from going rancid and need antioxidants such as Rosemary Extract, Grapeseed Extract and Tocopherols. I'm sure there are more for oils but at this moment I can't think of them.

Next you need to protect your water based ingredients from Bacteria, Mold and Yeast.
For this you need to decide if your going synthetic or natural.
If your going synthetic than you have it easy. You just need to find a good supplier of your favorite preservative and add the suggested amount.
But if you decide to go natural then you have some work ahead of you and I bow down before you. Someday I'll take the time to figure out a natural preservative system. But until my 75 head of cattle and my two little girls can care for themselves I'm a little preoccupied at the moment.

Currently I'm testing out Lucidial liquid. It's a fermented radish beet extract. I've had several of my friends try it and didn't care for it but I'm testing it out as it might work for several of my formulations.

One other suggestion.
Have your finished products challenge tested. Just to make sure your selling a safe product.