# Lotion molding



## Obsidian (Aug 31, 2013)

I'm hoping someone can help me figure out why my lotion is molding. I've only made 3 batches but so far, 1 jar from the first two batches have grown mold.

My base recipe is
70-80% water
1% germben II E
the rest in oils

first batch was made with grapeseed oil and almond oil. Made 3 jars and only the small clear jar molded. The other two jars are dark, they have not shown any mold

second batch was peanut oil and coconut oil. Made 4 jars, only the small clear pump jar has shown mold.

Its only been 1-2 months since this was made, why would it grow mold even with the preservative? What can I do to prevent this in the future? Any chance the clear jars are contributing?


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## sistrum (Aug 31, 2013)

Pretty basic questions but did you heat and hold for at least 20min?, add preservative at proper temp?, everything current on expiration dates?  I know grapeseed oil has a short shelf life but I think it would smell bad before molding?


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## Obsidian (Aug 31, 2013)

I did heat but didn't hold for 20 min. All the oil was new and nothing smelled bad.


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## Robert (Aug 31, 2013)

Obsidian said:


> I'm hoping someone can help me figure out why my lotion is molding. I've only made 3 batches but so far, 1 jar from the first two batches have grown mold.
> 
> My base recipe is
> 70-85% water
> ...


Were the jars kept in a dark place or a lit place?  Seems like more than coincidence that only the clear jars would be affected.  So what's the difference?  Could be the jar material, or it could be light.

If it's light, it could be breaking down the preservative, or it could be that what you think is mold is actually algae.


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## DeeAnna (Sep 1, 2013)

Germaben II *E*?

My notes say this product is for lotions that have more than 25% oils. Germaben II is formulated for lotions with 25% or less oils. Not sure if this is an issue, but it is certainly something to keep in mind.

Also, are you putting your product in reused containers? If so, were they just washed out, or were they scrubbed and sanitized? Might not fit for your situation, but again something to think about.

Edit -- Also if the clear containers are showing mold but the colored containers are not, consider the possibility that UV exposure might be breaking down the preservative or the product itself. I don't see any indication in the product literature about this being an issue for Germaben, but it's another thought to consider.


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## sistrum (Sep 1, 2013)

I think it was the not "holding" part.  The only time I've had mold was when I didn't keep the temp up long enough. But who knows?


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## Obsidian (Sep 1, 2013)

I'll have to go back over my recipe and double check the exact percentage of oils, it could be a touch under 25%. I'll make sure to use 25% + for now on. One of the moldy jars was reused but the other was not. The only clear container that hasn't molded is a glass jar but its generally in a darker room. Next time I will use a bleach solution on all my jars just in case.

I wasn't sure if I really needed to hold the heat for a personal batch. Next time around, I will make sure I do.


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## judymoody (Sep 1, 2013)

I may be overly paranoid, but I only use containers that are new and have never been used previously.


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## Obsidian (Sep 1, 2013)

Robert, The jars are kept in the living room, some natural light but no direct light. The mold was black and fuzzy, didn't look like algae.

My daughter has 3 jars of batch #2 in reused jars and she doesn't have any mold. Her jars are clear opaque and a thicker type plastic. Both moldy jars are thinner, completely clear plastic.


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## Robert (Sep 1, 2013)

Then it's nearly a cinch to have been caused by photodegradation (UV or visible) of the preservative, unless on the off chance something in the plastic of the clear ones is doing it.  Parabens are phenols, and phenols are well known to be sensitive to light.  I don't know if there's a phenol stabilizer like 8-hydroxyquinoline that's suitable for cosmetic lotions.  Labs keep phenol in brown bottles, and Lysol is packed in brown bottles.


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## Obsidian (Sep 1, 2013)

At least its a easy fix. My lotions go in dark containers for now on. Thanks for the help everyone


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## jenneelk (Sep 1, 2013)

How old did you say it was? My lotion I've been making for about 2 years used to be in clear bottles with no problems but haven't really had much on hand longer than a month or so. Customers would have it though and never had one complain of mold. It's now in amber plastic just for streamlining of my products purposes. 
Actually my 'milk' spray lotion was also in clear containers and def had less than 25% oils. I have used Germaben in the past but now use Vit E and another and make very very small batches. Never have had mold myself or with customer. Not sure what could have happened with yours. Did you say it was from separate batches?


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## Robert (Sep 1, 2013)

jenneelk said:


> How old did you say it was? My lotion I've been making for about 2 years used to be in clear bottles with no problems but haven't really had much on hand longer than a month or so. Customers would have it though and never had one complain of mold. It's now in amber plastic just for streamlining of my products purposes.
> Actually my 'milk' spray lotion was also in clear containers and def had less than 25% oils. I have used Germaben in the past but now use Vit E and another and make very very small batches. Never have had mold myself or with customer. Not sure what could have happened with yours. Did you say it was from separate batches?


Not only separate batches, but different oils!

Emulsifier was unspecified, and it's possible that it was contaminated with a relatively large inoculum of mold spores, or there may have been aerial contamination due to some nearby source.  I couldn't count the number of cultures I've had in labs get moldy under "sterile" conditions.  Hard to track these things down, and in many cases the preservatives in toiletries so cover for such aberrancies that you never know they happened.

Speaking of lotion, that was one tip one of my mentors believed in.  Dr. Hill didn't think washing hands to be all that important for work in the laminar flow hood with cell cultures, and thought that it may actually make things worse by encouraging flaking off of skin which could carry microbes.  What she thought more effective was using hand lotion to plaster loose skin down.  We still wore gloves, though.


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