The demand for cosmetic preservatives, specifically for the use of safely extending the shelf life of personal care products featuring active ingredients, is expected to be the critical driver behind this next booming growth period for the global preservative market.

The vital ingredient for a safe and shelf-stable skincare, haircare, or personal care product? Cosmetic preservatives. Almost every single personal care or skincare product on the market today contains water, oils, surfactants, emulsifiers, or all of the above, which means these products absolutely must contain preservatives to stay safe for consumer usage after they’re first opened.

Water-containing personal care products are ripe for the growth of mold, bacteria, and yeast, but cosmetic preservatives prevent these potentially dangerous spores from blooming within the moist, wet container of a personal care product or the confines of a warm, steamy bathroom.

Additionally, cosmetic preservatives help consumers in another, less obvious way. Without cosmetic preservatives, opened personal care items would need to be stored in the refrigerator or freezer, to safely extend their shelf life beyond a few days.

For creating safe products that can last longer – and stand up to life in the rainforest-like environment of a bathroom – effective cosmetic preservatives are key.

Cosmetic preservatives also lend another critical function to personal care products: to protect the expensive active ingredients within a formulation and extend their efficacy.

The active ingredients, or hero ingredients, of cosmetic and skincare products are why a consumer purchases a particular facial serum, jiggly jelly body soap, or trendy facial essence. Whether it’s a fast fix for dark under eye circles, a cure-all for frizzy hair, or extra help for dry cuticles, the active ingredients within a personal care product are the components that can alter, affect, treat, or prevent a particular problem or issue.

However, as effective as active ingredients are, these ingredients must also be handled with care within a formulation. Active ingredients are biologically active, which makes them more easily able to deteriorate or lose their efficacy when exposed to light, changes in temperature, or the passing of time.

But, luckily for both consumers and formulators, this is where cosmetic preservatives come in to provide protection.

For consumers, cosmetic preservatives will help protect the active ingredients within their pricey nighttime repair lotion or expensive root-boosting shampoo, making the product efficacious over a longer period of time. And for formulators, cosmetic preservatives help protect the integrity of an active ingredient – and helps ensure the consumer-desired results happen consistently over time.

As the skincare, haircare, and personal care markets continue to boom grow, the global cosmetic preservative market is set to grow in tandem over the next five years, as formulators use the industry’s unsung hero – preservatives – to create innovative, safe, shelf-stable, and highly effective new products.

Thanks to innovations like those from Sharon Laboratories and other research leaders, the best days for preservations are still ahead of us.

Take advantage of our new anti-aging guide, featuring the most innovative, highest-quality ingredients in the personal care industry.