Can OptiPhen Plus be used to preserve plain water?

[CanaDawn]

Plain water won't "go bad" as long as it has nothing added into it that could go rancid or grow.

 

[aab1]

Plain water won't "go bad" as long as it has nothing added into it that could go rancid or grow.

That's what I thought but I also thought it might be good to add a preservative just to be sure.

Technically there is oil added to the water (a blend of essential and mineral oil) but it's not emulsified and just floats on top of the water.

Would such a product need preservatives in either the oil or water part? Would adding potassium sorbate to the water part be good just to be safe? Would the oil blend need an antioxidant to prolong shelf life? I'd like this product to have at least a 1-2 year shelf life.

Thanks

 

[CanaDawn]

Mineral oil doesn't go bad either, far as I know as it's not got fatty acids to be oxidized and is a petroleum product. Essential oils don't need to be preserved. If you use appropriate aseptic techniques and so on, I would have said it didn't need preserving, but I'm not an expert on cosmetics preservative legislations, by any means.

 

[aab1]

Thanks. Is there any possible downsides to adding potassium sorbate to the water just to be safe? I read it needs a ph of 6 or less, what could I add to reduce the ph?

Thanks

 

[Lindy]

You really, really need to emulsify this with a little bit of oils because those essential oils floating on top are dangerous and if someone were to get hurt by it that is grounds for a lawsuit as an avoidable hazard.

 

[aab1]

This product is neither for internal nor external use, it's to make a shaver cleaning solution, is it still a problem? Also, is there a way to emulsify them that is both entirely natural and will not turn the liquid white like milk? I was going to try polysorbate 20 until I read it really isn't natural.

Thanks

 

[Lindy]

There is none that I know of. Your hazard risk is that if they should decide they really love the scent that they decide to spritz with it. Even shaking it is not going to mix those essential oils in and it's like putting neat essential oils on your skin. The same thing is going to happen when cleaning the razor, the essentials are going to end up on the razor neat and risks having it applied to the face when shaving with the "cleaned" razor. It is so not worth the lawsuit...

 

[aab1]

This is actually for a product I've been selling for years and am trying to improve it as sales are really picking up and I now sell several thousand dollars worth every month. The product is sold in heat sealed packets much like ketchup packets at fast food places so it's not in a spray bottle to be "spritzable". Once the buyer is ready to use it, the instructions say to empty the packet into a 500ml bottle of rubbing alcohol, the alcohol then allows both the water and oil based parts of my product to "homogenize" into a "single" liquid with no oil floating on top and the essential oil is then highly diluted when the product is mixed and ready to use. The final solution is then meant to refill the cleaning solution cartridge for the shaver's automatic self-cleaning base, it is not for "manual" use where it would at any time touch someone's skin unless accidentally spilled.

I agree there is still a risk of spilling it on your hands when transferring it to the alcohol bottle, but one of the improvements I have planned is to mix the essential oil with mineral oil to better lubricate the shaver, I was planning in diluting it at about a rate of 1:1 (for example 1 ml eo to 1 ml mo), is that enough to make it safe? In any case the essential oil makes up about 30% of the product by volume so there isn't much room for dilution (the water part can be reduced to make room for other ingredients like the mineral oil I will soon be adding to my new formula).

However I just realized my product is no more dangerous than EO bottles you can buy at the grocery store, so why would it be a risk for my product but not for EO bottles which are 100% EO?

Since this product is by extremely far my #1 seller (I sell 5400% more of this than I do soap) I want to make it the best and safest I can for my customers. Would adding warnings to avoid skin contact and wash thoroughly in case of contact be enough?

I know I hadn't explained what the product is until now, now that I explained it in more detail I'd like to know what I can do to prevent lawsuits and to ensure the longest shelf life possible (ideally at least 1-2 years).

Thanks

 

[Lindy]

Thank you for explaining it better. Yes if you put the warning to avoid skin contact until diluted would be a great way of doing it. Personally I always worry about it when people buy neat essential oils without the knowledge to use them safely since the sales clerks are not trained aromatherapists.

 

[aab1]

Thanks, I will be updating my labels to add those warnings.

What about the preservative issue, would potassium sorbate in the water be a good idea and what could I use to get the ph down to the required 6 this preservative requires?

Thanks

 

[Lindy]

Actually you don't need it with what you have in it...

 

[aab1]

Actually you don't need it with what you have in it...

I also plan to make a new formula for another self cleaning shaver brand but it uses a water based solution instead of alcohol. Would adding a large amount of natural liquid soap (around 25-50% soap) to the water cause it to need a preservative?

Thanks

 

[Lindy]

No you would be fine with that as well.