Amber Ong | Sales Manager

Cosmetic Stability and Microbial Testing

IMPORTANCE OF STABILITY TESTS IN COSMETICS DEVELOPMENT

In order to ensure the desired product consistency and to evaluate the microbiological quality of the products, it is important to subject the cosmetic product to a stability test as early as the development phase. This is also important for consumer safety reasons.

RESPONSIBILITY OF COSMETICS MANUFACTURERS FOR PRODUCT SAFETY

Every cosmetics manufacturer is responsible for the microbiological safety and quality of their products and must ensure that they are manufactured under hygienic conditions. Cosmetic products must not contain excessive quantities or specific micro-organisms that could compromise product quality or consumer safety.

REQUIREMENTS AND PERFORMANCE OF STABILITY TESTS

In general, a stability test must be carried out over a period of 1 to 3 months at a temperature of 37°C, 40°C or 45°C or higher, depending on the product type. The stability test can be performed in different incubators with different temperature settings. It is recommended to use an incubator with forced air circulation to ensure excellent temperature uniformity during the test. To save space in the laboratory, two units of the IKA INC 125 F digital can be stacked on top of each other. For long-term testing, timer settings of up to 100 days can be set. Testing the product at extreme temperatures can show how long the product will keep under real conditions without changing properties such as viscosity, pH and appearance.

In addition, an incubator for microbial testing is required to ensure that no undesirable aerobic mesophilic bacteria or yeasts are present in a cosmetic product that could cause skin or eye infections or indicate hygienic deficiencies.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INC 125 F DIGITAL INCUBATOR

The INC 125 F digital incubator offers a wide temperature range up to 100°C to support both stability testing and microbial testing of cosmetic products with its excellent temperature stability and performance uniformity. Its internal volume of 125 liters allows it to hold more test specimens compared to other incubators in the same class.