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July 30, 2025

Lavender steps up as a natural preservative in skin-care emulsions

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Synthetic parabens and formaldehyde releasers are falling out of favor, but keeping creams safe from microbes remains a challenge. The global shift toward "clean-label" cosmetics has left formulators scrambling for milder preservatives. A research paper led by Dr. Maria Trapali (University of West Attica, Greece), now offers a drop-in solution: the simple pairing of Lavandula angustifolia hydrosol with its own essential oil.

The study is in the Journal of Dermatologic Science and Cosmetic Technology.

Using standard oil-in-water emulsions, the researchers challenged products with high loads of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. After 12 weeks at 25° C and 40° C, emulsions containing 0.05% hydrosol + 0.05% kept counts below 10 CFU/mL—well inside European Pharmacopeia limits. In contrast, an unpreserved control passed 10⁵ CFU/mL within four weeks.

Six oil-in-water emulsions were stored at 25° C and 40° C for 12 weeks. Products containing 0.05% lavender essential oil plus 0.05% hydrosol remained below 10² CFU g⁻¹, while an unpreserved control exceeded 10⁴ CFU g⁻¹ by week four. The authors also provide a rapid GC-MS protocol to ensure consistent linalool levels across lavender chemotypes.

The work is the first to document a true synergy between lavender hydrosol and essential oil, outperforming either agent alone.

More information: Maria Trapali et al, Evaluation of the efficacy of lavender formulations as preservative agents in O/W (oil-in-water) emulsions, Journal of Dermatologic Science and Cosmetic Technology (2025).

Provided by Journal of Dermatologic Science and Cosmetic Technology

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A combination of 0.05% Lavandula angustifolia hydrosol and 0.05% essential oil in oil-in-water emulsions maintains microbial counts below 102 CFU g−1 for 12 weeks at 25°C and 40°C, meeting European Pharmacopeia standards and outperforming unpreserved controls. This synergy offers an effective natural preservative for cosmetics.

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