Need help figuring out recipe

[FlybyStardancer]

Before I got into soap & cosmetics, I learned canning. Proper sanitation and preservation methods are just as important there, if not even more important! (As is the difference between what's safe in different places. Apparently some of the north american variants of common-but-dangerous bacteria/molds are more heat-tolerant than their UK cousins. In the UK you can be perfectly safe flipping the jar of fresh, hot jam over and letting the heat of the jam kill nasties. In the US you have to actually process them in boiling water to kill them.)

 

[LunaLotion]

So there was an email on the jar, I sent a note about shelf life and they responded that vit E and coconut oil natural preservative....there is something rotten in the state of Denmark. I'm new to this game, but have read enough to know not to rely on natural preservatives.

 

[mx5inpenn]

DeeAnna, the lack of preservative does raise questions, granted I live in the NE and I haven't keep the jar of cream in the bathroom but so far no mold that I can see, there has to be something in there preserving the product. BUT since the label says organic, natural and NON GMO, their customers would definitely be thrown if they listed a chemical preservative.

Non-GMO and organic is redundant since organic currently *has* to be non-GMO. As far as the natural labeling, there is no regulation. The word natural means a lot in marketing value and nothing more. The way I see that labeling is that they used organic materials. That doesn't negate preservatives. Just means it has to be acquired from an organic source.

On a side note, if it's a small company, the odds that they are certified organic are slim. Legally, you can't label something organic without certification. If it doesn't have the seal on the label, they most likely aren't certified as that is a costly and exhaustive adventure. Anyone who has gone through it is going to want to make it known.

 

[FlybyStardancer]

So there was an email on the jar, I sent a note about shelf life and they responded that vit E and coconut oil natural preservative....there is something rotten in the state of Denmark. I'm new to this game, but have read enough to know not to rely on natural preservatives.

Yeah, either she's not labeling properly (if she used a coconut-derived "natural" preservative and didn't put it on the label), or she's relying on coconut oil's purported antimicrobial properties... Which will not preserve an emulsion. And Vit E is an antioxidant, which will stop oils from going rancid but won't stop microbial growth.