One of my customers just asked me about the use of sodium benzoate in cosmetics on the forum, so I decided to post my answer here too. She also asked about grapefruit seed extract (but I don’t use that in my line but to read my long response on that ;P please read the rest of the post).
From my post on the forum:
Edited to add what how I define a broad spectrum preservative (which was in the gfse part of my post on the forum): I personally define a preservative that is ‘broad spectrum’ as something that kills a wide range of bacteria as well as fungi AND keeps it fresh for long periods of time, anywhere from 7 months to a year, or for synthetic preservatives up to 2 years.
I only use sodium benzoate in one product so far (Balance toner) and that is part of the preservative geogard ultra (which is an Ecocert approved preservative). I think the amounts of sodium benzoate in geogard are safe to use (sodium benzoate is used in a lot of foods). My opinion is that sodium benzoate applied TOPICALLY in very small amounts and not used all the time* is safe (topical versus ingested sometimes have the same effect and sometimes the effects are different).
(*this is one of the reason I stress rotation so much, since most things are safe in very small amounts but in high amounts, or used over long periods of time, can be toxic. Even something as ‘benign’ as tea tree essential oil can be toxic if used incorrectly and for too long).
I use geogard to preserve my hydrosols/toners for a couple reasons. Though hydrosols have a pretty good shelf life on their own (they are sterile straight from the distiller) and in theory have a shelf life of anywhere from a few months to a year or so (depends on the plant and also the methods of the distiller), once people handle them, they can get easily contaminated (many people handle them before they get to me, and then I handle them before I give it to my customers). So they can be good for months or they can go bad in a day.
I think it is very important to test skin care for bacteria and fungi, so I test every batch I make for my business with simple bacteria and fungal tests (which is not as good as a lab can do, but still at least a good indicator. Not every small hand crafter tests their products but I do). Though you can sometimes tell something has become contaminated, you can’t always tell by looking at it.
From my experiences with helping friends, family, and also dozens, maybe hundreds, of people over the last several years on forums, I’ve come to realize that although I am anal ;P in how I handle my personal cosmetics (using them up fast, refrigerating when needed, not storing in the bathroom, trying to handle them carefully, etc) not everyone else is as anal as me. So for my customers’ safety I decided to use a preservative in my toners. Though there are a few synthetic preservatives I will use (like cosmocil) I prefer using as natural as possible so that’s why I choose geogard (most people define geogard as ‘all natural’, personally I define geogard as somewhere between ‘all natural’ and ‘naturally derived/synthetic’ but closer to natural than synthetic).
A good read, my ecoliving article on anb (all natural beauty) mall’s site on what is natural.
Also my article on what is organic
To make a long story, very long ;P there are very few truly natural or ‘more natural’ preservatives that have been challenge tested and shown that they are truly broad spectrum preservatives (many like some essential oils can kill bacteria but they are not broad spectrum). Geogard is one of them, another is leucidal. Both are pretty new to the market (Geogard has only been available within the last few years. Leucidal is very new, only started seeing that a few months ago). I will be using leucidal in another toner probably (I need to test it for longer to see if I like it as much as geogard or not).
Geogard is considered to be Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS), probably one of the safest preservatives out on the market now.
For sodium benzoate some people with really sensitive skin may be sensitive to it (key word may. Many people with sensitive skin can use sodium benzoate with no problem). Sodium benzoate is used in many things from vinegar/salad dressing, soda, and cough syrup. I am more concerned in the amount in soda since many people drink a lot of soda daily! Most of the concerns in foods are when high amounts of sodium benzoate are combined with other substances (like artificial colors or ascorbic acid, etc). Very small amounts are considered to have no adverse effects when ingested.
The small amount in geogard for a topically applied product; I think it is safe in that amount, applied to the skin. I’ve read that the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel considers Sodium Benzoate to be safe when used in (topically applied) cosmetics at levels at 5% or lower. In cosmetics, Geogard is used in way lower amounts, between 0.75% – 2.0%. Geogard is made with mostly Gluconolactone (first ingredient) and also Sodium Benzoate, so the amount of Sodium Benzoate is very low in it.
I think it is wonderful that you (my customer) are researching things 🙂 Though I think sodium benzoate (when used in the correctly amounts) is relatively safe in skin care (it’s much safer than using many of the synthetic preservatives out there), others may disagree and don’t want to use it, and that is okay. That is one of the reasons why I am looking into other preservatives too, and if I end up liking leucidal as much as geogard I will add that to a different toner (so far I like it). Geogard will remain as the preservative in Balance toner though. There are other natural/more natural preservatives I am experimenting with too. I may come out with herbal extract only toner (so preserved with grain or grape alcohol) one of these days, but shelf life on those would be much shorter than preserving with geogard or leucidal so I am thinking about it.
