# Citric Acid as a preservative?



## CraftyRedhead (May 29, 2014)

I'm looking for a more natural preservative for my sugar scrubs. Honestly I have been making scrubs for family and friends for over a year (and longer than that for just myself) and have never used any preservative. I understand that the inevitable introduction of water into the jar can cause bacteria and mold growth, but I have never seen it. 
So I'm planning to start selling at a local market, but I want to make sure that I don't risk a bad product, or worse, make someone sick. My hubby has used citric acid in his canning and for jerky preservation, and I was wondering if I could use it (in small amounts of course) in my scrubs? I almost wish that I had seen mold in my personal scrubs so I could experiment (do one with and one without citric acid) and see if it inhibits growth.
What kind of preservative (if any) do you use in your scrubs?


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## shunt2011 (May 29, 2014)

No, Citric Acid is not a preservative as it won't inhibit mold or other bacteria in the scrubs.  I use optiphen in my scrubs to preserve them.I would not want to risk the possiblity of water getting into the product and then causing possible harm to someone who has purchased my product.  That's what I choose to do anyway.


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## jade-15 (May 31, 2014)

Heaps and HEAPS of information on this site:
http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com.au/p/preservatives.html

But citric acid is not a preservative.


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## CraftyRedhead (May 31, 2014)

Thanks so much! 
I hope I didn't give the impression that I'm not planning on using any preservative.. I do completely understand all the risks, otherwise I wouldn't have asked at all.


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## lsg (May 31, 2014)

You might try a combination of Leucidal Liquid SF and Leucidal Liquid PT.  Make sure you do a home test at least before selling to the public.  

http://www.theherbarie.com/Leucidal-Liquid-SF.html


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