Cosmetic Microbiology Services

 Sagescript Institute offers microbiology testing of cosmetics and toiletries. Tests available are the two most important assays:
 
 Aerobic plate count (APC) – enumeration of bacteria present in a sample
 Fungal/yeast count (F/YC) – enumeration of fungi (mold) or yeast present in a sample 

No of Samples

APC

Fungal/Yeast

Both Together
1-2 $19 $19 $31
3-4 $18 $18 $28
5+ $16 $16 $27
For larger orders please contact us for pricing.

Testing your cosmetics in this way is one step in assuring you that you have a safe product to sell and knowing that it is not adulterated. Please send 1-2 ounces of your product, preferably in the same container that you sell it in. Do not send it in a plastic zip lock bag. Be sure your product is labeled with your name/company name and a product identification name.

Send product along with the contact sheet you download below and a check for $31 (or other appropriate amount) or send Paypal.

The procedure will follow the guidelines of the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for microbiological methods for cosmetics. Testing takes 10 days to 2 weeks.

The FDA does not require any microbiology testing but it is a responsible thing to do to protect your formula and your customer. The FDA does say that a cosmetic should not be adulterated which is interpreted as meaning it should not contain harmful bacteria or fungus.

Tests:
APC and Fungal/Yeast (FY)
The APC test tells you how many bacteria are in your product. The  Fungal/yeast test tells you how many fungus and yeast are in the product at the time of testing.
Challenge Testing or Preservative Efficacy Testing
This is the most rigorous test to determine whether your preservative is working. It involves introducing known bacteria (E. Coli, Pseudomonas, and Staph) and Fungi (Aspergillus, Candida) into your product. Plate counts are done at various times over a months period afterward. If the preservative is working, counts will decrease within 2 weeks and not increase again after that.
Common Usage Test
This test is an alternative to the Challenge Test that is recommended to home crafters who are not widely marketing their product. It is much less quantitative and rigorous than the challenge test but still gives useful information and fits a home crafters budget. To do this, first send a product in for testing.  If these counts come out zero to low it assures that you are starting with good GMP (good manufacturing practices) and your product is without contamination. Now, take a second sample from that batch and use and abuse it for several day. This means to make sure you stick  your dirty fingers into it and leave it open – enough abuse that you know you are getting bacteria and fungus in the product.  Don’t hold back. Send this sample in for testing after a week or two. This second test will tell you how your product holds up to that insult and gives an idea how effective your preservative is.  The counts for the second testing should be as low as the first testing.  The cost for this would be the same as two APC and fungal/yeast tests ($62).
Shelf Life of a preservative is a difficult thing to assess and can really only be done in real time. You might try having your products tested ever 3-6 months to estimate a shelf life or determine how long their preservative works.

Stability testing is separate and tests whether your emulsion will stay together. Stability is ‘accelerated’ with increased heat to simulate time.

To send a sample, download and print the request form by clicking the button below and send that in with your sample. Payment can be made by enclosed check or by Paypal. Go to this page for Paypal.

You will need adobe reader to download the form, please click here to download it for free.

Additional services are available on a consultation basis. These might include gram stain, challenge testing, Mean Inhibitory Concentration (MIC). Pricing for these will vary depending upon details.

Testing your cosmetics in this way is  one step in assuring you that you have a safe product to sell. A 1-2 ounce sample of your product is all that is needed. The procedure will follow the guidelines of the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for microbiological methods for cosmetics. Testing takes approximately a week. Additional services will be added as need arises (challenge testing, MIC). Pricing is $19.00 for a single test, or $31.00 for APC and fungal/yeast count together. Discounts can be given with volume.  
This link describes a hospital case where patients were infected because of a nurse using a contaminated hand lotion:


These tests can also be applied to other products such as foods and herbs.
Please contact me for more information if you are interested. Mail
Here is what the FDA guidelines say about bacteria in cosmetic products:
“Cosmetic products are not expected to be aseptic; however, they must be completely free of high-virulence microbial pathogens, and the total number of aerobic microorganisms per gram must be low. Since there are no widely acceptable standards for numbers, temporary guidelines are used instead. For eye-area products, counts should not be greater than 500 colony forming units (CFU)/g; for non-eye-area products, counts should not be greater than 1000 CFU/g. The presence of pathogens would be particularly important in evaluating as unacceptable a cosmetic with a marginally acceptable count, e.g., 400 CFU/g for an eye-area product. Pathogens or opportunistic pathogens whose incidence would be of particular concern, especially in eye-area cosmetic products, include S. aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, P. aeruginosa and other species, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Some microbes normally regarded as nonpathogenic may be opportunistically pathogenic, e.g., in wounds.”
The EU recommendations are similar.               
Payment can be made by check or Paypal.
You can read more on my blog post here.
Need Testing other than Microbiology? Try Cosmetic Test Labs.

“What is essential is invisible to the eye…”
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, in The Little Prince