Preservative Testing

Preservative Testing

Synthetic and natural preservatives (antimicrobial agents) encumber incidental microbial contamination which may occur over the course of normal product usage. Although not considered “active ingredients”, preservatives serve a vital role in the protection of drug and cosmetic products from microbial contaminants.

Preservative Chemical Assays – It is important to conduct chemical assays of preservative ingredients prior to their use in products to assure they are of the desired strength and purity. Chemical assays should also be conducted on finished product batches to assure that preservatives are present at the formulated level, thus affording antimicrobial protection of the product as intended.

Preservative Efficacy Testing (PET) / Antimicrobial Effectiveness Testing (AET) – Although not a chemical assay, this microbiological test is used for determining whether the preservative system in a susceptible cosmetic or drug product is suitable for that specific formulation, container type, and pattern of product usage.

Our Capabilities

CPT℠  maintains a state-of-the-art Analytical Lab in which chemical assays of preservative raw ingredients and preservative levels in finished products are conducted.

CPT℠  also maintains a state-of-the-art Microbiology Lab in which Preservative Efficacy / Antimicrobial Effectiveness Testing is conducted on drug and cosmetic formulations.  

Our in-house experts assist manufacturers in identifying the highest quality preservative ingredients to use in their products and to determine the most effective preservative combination(s) and concentration(s) for their formulations.