Hi Teri –  I noticed when I watched the lotion making lesson that there was no mention of a preservative.  Covid killed my very successful soap and lotion manufacturing business, but when 2020 dawned, we were in over 30 high-end retail gift boutiques all over the country.  A very bright year lay ahead of us, or so it seemed.  Enough of that!  All of that to say that I have literally made thousands of gallons of lotion, and I have had my share of mold issues, to be sure.

Anytime you make a hydrous (contains water) product, you will have to use a preservative of some sort.  Non-hydrous products like salves, lip balms, etc. do not need a preservative, because they do not contain water.

Because I had to have a preservative that was going to truly protect my product, I did use a paraben and phthalate free preservative, but it is lab produced and not natural.  I have had very good results with liquid germall plus.  I get it from WholesaleSuppliesPlus.com.  They have a standard $6 shipping fee with a minimum $25 order.

Recommended use is .5%  It is also advisable to wait until the product is 120 degrees F or less before application.  In other words, it is one of the last ingredients that you incorporate.  Ditto for any essential oils, fragrances, etc.  because they will evaporate away quickly with higher temperatures.

Keep in mind that there is much more to keeping microbial contaminants out of your products besides using a good preservative.   Your ‘lab’ space must also be free of airborne contaminants.  Never do lab work in a room with a ceiling fan or other type of fan running.  Keep pets out of the room, especially those that shed.  And, of course, no smoking!  I get my nitrile lab gloves from Costco and I also ALWAYS wear a hair net.  I call it my ‘party hat’, but, admittedly, it is CRAZY UGLY!

All of your equipment and work areas must be constantly sanitized.  I keep spray bottles of rubbing alcohol everywhere and work on a stainless steel table. Bleach your cloth cleaning rags when they are being laundered, and/or use paper towels.  Any rag that is used in any of the lotion making process is always sprayed with rubbing alcohol before allowing it to touch anything that the lotion will touch. Spray down the bottles that you will be using for storage of your product.  Work quickly and never leave bottles or jars uncovered for any more than you have to because of air particles, etc.

People often get confused about the use of Vitamin E and Rosemary Oleoresin (ROE) as additives for their lotion products.  They think that they are also used as preservatives and that is not the cse.

Each of these ingredients are very strong antioxidants, and they will thus do an excellent job at extending your finished products’ shelf life.  That is because oils and butters that we may choose to use as ingredients go rancid at differing rates.  I started out using almond oil for my lotions because it is not greasy and goes on smooth and silky.  It is also fairly inexpensive.

It seemed reasonable to not be spending so much money on an ingredient. However, the shelf life was only 7-8 months or so (even with using Vitamin E and ROE) and I quickly learned that that is a very short window in the world of commercial products.   When cases of lotion had to be thrown out because they were too close to their expiration dates, I realized that it made more sense to go with jojoba oil which has an extremely long shelf life – (4-5 years) although it is considerably more expensive.

Other tips:  I found that thesage.com has a conditioning emulsifier and stearic acid (for thickening) that really added that extra feeling of rich silkiness to my lotion that I just couldn’t find from any other source.  Also, especially when I was new at it and would run into snags, I would call and ask for help with specific problems.  It is a small, family-owned business.  I got so much help from Tina that I began to refer to her as my ‘lotion coach.’  They also have many excellent recipes.  I found ‘groundhog day’ particularly useful.

Also, if you may want to take a look at Smart Lotionmaking by Anne Watson.  That book was indispensible when i was getting started.  It has a chart in there that evaluates lotions based on shelf life, greasiness, cost, beneficial properties, etc.

It really is a trial and error kind of thing.  When I was developing formulas and looking for specific outcomes, I would make very small batches and use a micro/gram digital scale.  I would usually follow my untried recipe exactly as shown in the book and then possibly change a thing or two with each new iteration of the next batch.  Working methodically in that way helps you to move towards your goal of making THE PERFECT LOTION!

Excellent blogger is https://thenerdyfarmwife.com/  You should be able to pick up many other tips and ideas from her for great natural skincare and other DIY projects!

7 users thanked author for this post.

Melanie Otarola, Susie Saunders, Elizabeth Prackert, Diane Juranko, Sydnia Ginger Anady, Elisha Purser, Greg Boggs

WHOOPS!  I made an error when I was referring to the book, Smart Lotionmakeing.  The chart that I was referring to provides great information on the oils used as ingredients as to their greasiness, shelf life as far as rancidity goes, cost, beneficial properties. etc.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Sydnia Ginger Anady