 Cosmetics are being manufactured in the form

of lotions, creams, liquids, solids and powder

forms.
 Some are stickers and used externally for
cleaning and decorative proposes.
 They consist of large quantity of water, animal,
plant/mineral oils, natural gums thickening
agents, carbohydrates, aroma and flavouring
agents in addition to protein hydrolysates, milk,
beer, egg, plant extracts, etc. These product
formulations are good sources of nutrients for
microbes.
 Although, preservatives are added but due to
complex nature of formulations, preservatives
become less effective.
 Sometimes, creams and lotions are
contaminated with pseudomonads, although
with low levels of this group of organisms do
not harm the individual but is applied to
patients with skin infection/damage, situation
may become worst.
 Some of the deteriorated cosmetics impart foul
odours due to production of organic acids, fatty
acids, amines, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide.
 Production of ammonia or acid leads to alter the
pH, which may change the consistency and
colour of the products by developing lumps and
slime.
 Sometimes gas bubbles are also generated. Such
products later on become unstable and form
separate oil and water phases.
 Various lipids (oils, fats) are susceptible to
microbial attack when dispersed in aqueous
formulations after degradation. They give rise to
glycerol and fatty acids.
 The fatty acids may further break down via β-oxidation
to form odorous ketones.
 Many other additive chemicals particularly glycerol
and sorbitol are used in toothpaste, etc.
 These allow various microbes to grow and secrete
amylases, cellulases, etc. responsible for degradation of
such carbon containing microbial nutrients.
 Shampoo and detergents often contain sodium dodecyl
sulfate which act as substrates for enzyme alkyl
sulphatases.
 The species of Pseudomonas, Citrobacter and
Aerobacter secrete enzymes that breakdown the
finished items and may generate unpleasant odour,
particularly H2S.
 Microbiological contamination can spoil the
product or the micro-organism may be
pathogenic and hence potentially harmful to
the user.
 Infections caused by contaminated cosmetics
are relatively rare today, and the reported
cases are all from hospitalized persons
 Contact allergy caused by ingredients in
cosmetic products is a well-known problem.
 Approximately 6% of the general population
has a cosmetic-related contact allergy.
 Cosmetic products can be contaminated in two
ways: during manufacture or by the consumer
during use.
 Contamination can cause undesired changes in the
composition, odour, or colour of the products.
 Furthermore, the micro-organisms can be
pathogenic and thereby pose a health risk for the
consumer.
 Individual infections due to contaminated
cosmetics are unlikely to be discovered or
documented, and the reported infections are
outbreaks in hospitals.
 Outbreaks of Burkholderia infections due to
contaminated mouthwash have been
reported from hospitalized individuals.
 An outbreak of Burkholderia cepacia in an
intensive care unit was caused by an
intrinsically contaminated moisturizing milk.
 Prior to the above, outbreaks of P. aeruginosa
infections caused by contaminated cosmetics
were reported, also from hospitalized
individuals.
 Pathogenic micro-organisms such as Staphylococcus
aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are frequently
found in contaminated cosmetics.
 Anelich and Korsten found several genera in 58
different creams recalled in South Africa.
 The most frequently found genus was Pseudomonas
(30%) followed by Enterobacter (17%), Aspergillus
(13%), and Staphylococcus spp. (9%).
 Wong et al. found the pathogens P. aeruginosa and
B. cepacia in 25 (45%) and 19 (33%) of the 56
different investigated products recalled in the USA.
 From 2005 until May 2008, the European
Union recalled 24 different cosmetic products
because of microbiological contamination,
and at least 42% of the recalled products
were contaminated with
P. aeruginosa.
 Baird investigated 232 different baby
products and 53 (23%) were contaminated.
 Staphylococcus spp. and Pseudomonas spp.
were among the isolated bacteria.
Cosmetics are divided into two different categories:
 (i) products specifically intended for children under 3 years
or to be used in the eye area and on mucous membranes and
 (ii) other products
 For products in category 1, the total viable counts for aerobic
mesophilic micro-organisms must not exceed 100 Colony
forming units (CFU)/g in 0.5 g of the product, and
furthermore, the pathogenic micro-organisms Pseudomonas
aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and C. albicans must not be
detectable in 0.5 g of the product.
 For products in category 2, total viable counts must not
exceed 1000 CFU/g in 0.1 g, and the pathogens mentioned
above must not be detectable in 0.1 g of the product.
 In order to minimize the microbial
contamination, following actions are
recommended in connection with a
Microbiological Quality Management:
◦ Use of the principles of good manufacturing
practice
◦ Application and verification of limit values
◦ Use of preservatives
◦ Preservatives in cosmetics: Important or harmful?
 Preservatives are essential in the production of
cosmetics, because they kill or inhibit the growth of
microorganisms.
 Without preservatives, most aqueous cosmetic
products would have a shelf life of only 2 weeks.
 Only a few cosmetic products are stable without
added preservatives - These include products with
essential oils or a high level of alcohol as well as
products that contain little or no water.
 Preservatives are therefore very important to keep
cosmetics from spoiling and to inhibit the growth of
potentially dangerous microorganisms.
 However, not all substances that can be used as a
preservative are harmless to the consumer - Parabens for
example have a hormonal effect; benzoic acid can cause
pseudoallergic reactions.
 There are several different preservatives available but the
cosmetic market is dominated by a few preservatives:
parabens, formaldehyde, formaldehyde releasers, and
methylchloroisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone.
 In addition, there are a couple of natural materials that
contain substances that are said to have an antimicrobial
effect.
 These include for example propolis, cinnamon bark, clove
oil, allspice oil, nutmeg oil, ylangylang, rose oil and thyme.
 At the moment, there are no legally binding
limit values for germ contents in cosmetics.
 According to a recommendation of the
Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety of
the European Commission, cosmetics should
contain no more than 100 or 1.000 colony-
forming units per gram, depending on the
type of product.
 Certain pathogens such as Staphylococcus or
E. coli are not allowed to be detectable at all.
 These are the test kits for the microbiological
analysis of creams, lotions, lipsticks and
other cosmetic products are now available at
R-Biopharm.
 With these tests, you can measure the total
bacteria count as well as the amount of
E. coli, Coliforms and Staphylococcus aureus in
cosmetics.
 Compact Dry TC (total aerobic count) - a
simple and safe test procedure for
determination and quantification of aerobic
mesophilic count in foods, cosmetics or raw
materials – as well as pharmaceutical raw
materials.
 The aerobic count is an indicator for the
microbial status of the production and
environmental conditions.
 Compact Dry EC (Coliform bacteria and E. coli) - a
simple and safe test procedure for determination
and quantification of Coliform bacteria and E. coli in
foods, cosmetics, water or raw materials – as well as
pharmaceutical raw materials.
 Coliform bacteria are considered to be indicators for
fecal contaminations.
 E. coli is the best known member of the group of
Coliforms and considered as indicator for the
presence of pathogenic organisms (e.g. Salmonella).
 Compact Dry CF (Coliform bacteria) - a simple and
safe test procedure for determination and
quantification of Coliform bacteria in foods,
cosmetics or raw materials – as well as
pharmaceutical raw materials.

 Compact Dry X-SA (Staphylococcus aureus) - a

simple and safe test procedure for determination
and quantification of Staphylococcus aureus in foods,
cosmetics or raw materials – as well as
pharmaceutical raw materials. S. aureus therefore is
considered as indicator for poor personal hygiene.
Thank you