Hi everyone
Posted on the forum too.
When Balance toner gets very cold, the preservative in it (Geogard Ultra) can resolidify. In previous batches, I was using the maximum recommended concentration of geogard to preserve. I didn’t notice this issue when the weather was warmer, or when I stored the toner at room temperature or in certain parts of my business/crafting fridge (some parts of my business/crafting fridge are cooler than others, and in some sections it freezes ingredients). (I store most of the batch in the fridge, and a few at room temperature, labeled, shrink wrapped and ready to ship).
But as the weather has turned cooler, and since I started storing the toner in a different, colder part of my fridge I began to notice this issue with a couple bottles. (Also two customers just recently emailed me about it. I only noticed it myself with a couple bottles, and Balance is one of my best sellers, so I think this is only happening to a few bottles when it gets very cold).
I put the bottles in a warm/hot water bath (to make sure it was the geogard, since it looked like geogard. Geogard is in a crystal solid form) and the particles melted. I also tested it for bacteria and fungi, just in case, and the tests were good.
I have reduced the amount of geogard to prevent this issue for new/future batches so future batches shouldn’t have this problem (I just made a new batch, and reduced the amount of geogard, and that seemed to prevented the issue).
Also although I have not noticed this happening with leucidal (the eco cert preservative I use in my other toner, Purity) I think my friend Markey (Garden of Wisdom) has mentioned on her forum that leucidal can form particles (or maybe she said cloudy?) when in formulation too (leucidal is a liquid, I am guessing with leucidal it may be a reaction with certain ingredients). I guess this is a characteristic of some of the newer, more natural, eco-cert preservatives.
Just thought I would post this, just in case anyone had a previous batch of Balance toner. I am sorry that this has happened to a couple people’s toner. All new batches of Balance toner are being made with a lower concentration, so hopefully this will prevent the issue.
Take care,
Li
