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Reprint
W. Beilfuss, M. Leschke, K. Weber
from
11-2005 A New Concept to Boost the Preservative
Efficacy of Phenoxyethanol
 CO S M ET I C S
P R E S E R VAT I V E S

W. Beilfuss, M. Leschke, K. Weber*

A New Concept to Boost the Preservative

Efficacy of Phenoxyethanol

Keywords: cosmetic preservative, phenoxyethanol, ethylhexylglycerin

mental to the health of the user or to the
Abstract aesthetic appearance of the product. Thus,
it is necessary to protect the product from
such microbial contamination. To this end,
new cosmetic preservative
tion, without causing harm to humans. In
addition, they should be globally ap-
proved, cost effective and free of any pub-
lic discussion. Therefore, new concepts in

A
for leave-on products based
on a combination of the ac-
tive ingredient phenoxyethanol
and the skin care additive and de-
odorant active ethylhexylglycerin
is presented. Ethylhexylglycerin
boosts the antimicrobial activity of
phenoxyethanol. Properties, an-
timicrobial activity and a possible
mechanism of action are dis-
cussed.

Introduction
Most cosmetic products designed for topi-
cal application contain one or more mi-
crobicidal substances in their formula-
tion. The reasons for this are obvious. The
raw materials used in the manufacturing
of these products are rarely perfectly ster-
ile. Finished products containing perfume,
biologically active compounds or vita-
mins are too fragile to withstand sterili-
sation following conditioning. The manu-
facturing process is rarely aseptic. The
packaging is not hermetically sealed.
Above all, the use conditions following
opening are such that a microbial con-
tamination can arise, possibly being detri-
the cosmetic market demands multipur- preservation are required.
pose cosmetic preservatives which are
globally approved, cost effective and do
not contain actives under any public dis-
A sophisticated combination
cussion. However, the number of actives of phenoxyethanol and
which can be used as preservatives for ethylhexylglycerin
cosmetic applications is limited. Approxi-
mately 15 of the 57 preservative chemis- To address the complex requirements of
tries listed in Annex VI of the European the cosmetic market, the new cosmetic
Cosmetic Directive (76/768 EEC) are ac- preservative Euxyl® PE 9010 was devel-
tively used. Only these few have the physi- oped primarily for the use in leave-on
cal-chemical properties, as well as the ef- products. This patented liquid concen-
ficacy and the safety assessment, which trate is formulated from phenoxyethanol,
fulfil the requirements of the cosmetic the active ingredient, dissolving ethyl-
industry. Furthermore, there are rarely hexylglycerin, a multifunctional additive.
actives on the market due to their strict Phenoxyethanol (Fig. 1) (1,2) is a well-
control by the different legislatures of
European, American and Asian countries.
At present, almost every active actually
used to preserve cosmetic products is the
subject of public controversy. The car-
cinogenic potential of formaldehyde and
formaldehyde-donors, as well as the sen-
sitisation potential of organic halogen
compounds is discussed. Parabens are as-
sociated with a pseudo-estrogenic and INCI name: Phenoxyethanol
–androgenic potential, resulting in the Molecular formula: C8H10O2
media to linking them to breast cancer.
Although in most cases scientific assess- CAS-name: 2-Phenoxyethanol
ment of the suspected risks is not yet CAS-no.: 122-99-6
completed, the cosmetic industry has EINECS no.: 204-589-7
asked for alternatives to these well-known EINECS name: 2-Phenoxyethanol
preservative actives. That is why the cos-
No. according to 76/768/EEC: 29
metic market urgently needs new and in-
novative, multipurpose cosmetic preser-
Fig. 1 Chemical structure of
vatives that are able to protect cosmetic
phenoxyethanol
formulations from microbial contamina-

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known, broadly accepted cosmetic preser-

vative and is frequently combined with
other preservative actives. It is widely
used in cosmetics and toiletries in con-
centrations up to 1.0% for preservation,
as per the European Cosmetic Directive.
It is an oily liquid with a characteristic
aromatic odour and a solubility in water
of 2.67 g/100 ml, after sufficient stirring
time.
Phenoxyethanol is listed in Annex VI of
the European Cosmetic Directive (76/768
EEC). It is known to be a membrane ac-
tive agent. A Ph. Eur. monograph on phe-
noxyethanol has been issued (3).
Ethylhexylglycerin (Fig. 2) belongs to the
class of 1-alkyl glyceryl ethers. It is a high
purity, colourless and almost odourless
liquid; excellent properties for use in cos-
metic formulations.
1-Alkyl glyceryl ethers with a large vari-
ety of alkyl chains are well-known nat-
ural products. They are present in mam-
mals, birds, plants, protozoa and bacte-
ria and are particularly wide spread in
marine animals.
Ethylhexylglycerin was introduced to the
cosmetic market as a commercial prod-
uct (Sensiva® SC 50) in the year 1992 as
a skin care additive and deodorant ac-
tive. As a new substance it is listed on the
ELINCS file.
Ethylhexylglycerin is a unique, multifunc-
tional additive for cosmetic preparations
(4,5). It is accepted world-wide as a
deodorant active, being a very good al-
ternative to triclosan (6,7). Ethylhexyl-
INCI name:
Molecular formula:
CAS-name: 3-[(2-Ethylhexyl)oxy]-1,2-propandiol
CAS-no.:
ELINCS name:
ELINCS no.:
Fig. 2 Chemical structure of ethylhexylglycerin
glycerin is gentle to the skin, safe and,
when used as a multifunctional additive,
it provides effective wetting by lowering
the surface tension in aqueous systems.
Euxyl® PE 9010 is a liquid preservative
for cosmetics and toiletries based on
phenoxyethanol. Unlike organohalogen-,
isothiazolinone- or formaldehyde-based
preservatives, it can be classified as a
mild biocidal active (»soft preserva-
tive«). Euxyl® PE 9010 consists solely of
phenoxyethanol (90%) and ethylhexyl-
glycerin (10%). The INCI name of Euxyl®
PE 9010 is phenoxyethanol (and) ethyl-
hexylglycerin.
Both components in Euxyl® PE 9010 are
globally approved (Table 1).
Ethylhexylglycerin
C11H24O3
70445-33-9
Sensiva® SC 50
408-080-2

Properties
In Euxyl® PE 9010 the efficacy of the
well-known preservative active phenoxy-
ethanol has been enhanced. It is a clear,
colourless liquid suitable for leave-on
products, including the preparation of
clear gels.
Euxyl® PE 9010 is soluble in water up
to 1.0%. In polar solvents, such as
1,2-propylene glycol, propanol or ace-
tone, it is readily soluble. In polyalcohols,
such as glycerol and sorbitol, it is mod-
erately soluble. Pure aliphatic solvents
or aliphatic solvents with hydrophilic
groups, such as 2-octyldecanol and iso-
propyl myristate, exhibit only a limited
solubility.

Phenoxyethanol Ethylhexylglycerin
Europe / USA: INCI name: INCI name:
Phenoxyethanol (active ingredient) Ethylhexylglycerin (auxiliary)
Australia: listed on AICS listed on AICS/NICNAS (NA/966)
Canada: listed on DSL listed on DSL
Japan: phenoxyethanol is approved as a cosmetic ENCS as glycerin monoalkyl (or alkenyl, C8-C24)
preservative up to 1.0% for all types of ether (No.: 2-414)
cosmetics and toiletries without restrictions CLS 1999:
- registered name: 2-Ethylhexyl Glycerylether
- ingredient code: 532289
- fully approved in all categories except eyeliner
preparations, oral preparations, bath preparations
(not allowed) and lip preparations (max. 1.0%)

Table 1 Approval of phenoxyethanol and ethylhexylglycerin

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The maximum allowed concentration
according to EU Cosmetic Directive is
1.1%, due to the limit of 1.0% for phe-
noxyethanol. At the recommended use-
concentration of 0.5 to 1.0% Euxyl® PE
9010 is soluble in most cosmetic for-
mulations. The low surface tension of
Euxyl® PE 9010 solutions assures good
dispersion in various systems, even at
low temperature.
As phenoxyethanol and ethylhexyl-
glycerin are alcohols, the product is
stable to hydrolysis, to higher tempera-
tures (e.g. 100 °C) and to low as well as
high (pH 2 - 12) pH values. Furthermore,
it remains liquid with a moderate viscos-
ity at temperatures as low as -20 °C.
In general, Euxyl® PE 9010 displays good
compatibility with other cosmetic ingre-
dients. No discolourations have been de-
tected. The product shows no interac-
tions with sulphite ions or with pigments
like TiO2. It can tolerate high salt content.
Cationic and amphoteric substances do
not adversely affect the preservative ac-
tivity. However, it is yet not recommend-
ed for formulations containing compar-
atively high amounts of ethoxylated sur-
factants because these surfactants are
Species ATCC-
Nr.:
Gram-negative:
Enterobacter gergoviae 33028
Escherichia coli 11229
Klebsiella pneumoniae 4352
Pseudomonas aeruginosa 15442
Pseudomonas fluorescens 17397
Pseudomonas putida 12633
Gram-positive:
Staphylococcus aureus 6538
Staphylococcus epidermidis 12228
Mould fungi:
Aspergillus niger 6275
Penicillium funiculosum 36839
Yeast:
Candida albicans 10231
Table 2 MIC values (dilution test) of Euxyl® PE 9010 compared to phenoxyethanol
against different microorganisms
able to neutralise the boosting activity with phenoxyethanol and ethylhexyl-
of ethylhexylglycerin. glycerin individually. The efficacy can be
Due to its high solvency, Euxyl® PE 9010 illustrated by the determination of
can serve as a solvent for lipophilic ad- the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration
ditives like perfumes, vitamins and es- (MIC) values and by performing germ
sential oils. Formulas containing natural count reduction tests.
raw materials are particularly suscepti-
ble to microbial growth. Fast-acting
Euxyl® PE 9010 can eliminate microor- MIC values
ganisms quickly, making it more effec- To compare the MIC values of Euxyl® PE
tive than slower acting preservatives. 9010 with phenoxyethanol, the mini-
Designed as a substitute for paraben- mum inhibitory concentration against
containing preservative systems, it also different microorganisms in a serial di-
offers an alternative to formaldehyde- lution test was determined (Table 2).
releasers and isothiazolinones. Its use is While ethylhexylglycerin alone has no
recommended in leave-on preparations, appreciable effect on microorganisms,
such as lotions, creams, sun care prod- the enhanced phenoxyethanol in Euxyl®
ucts, transparent gels and others, as well PE 9010 is proven to have better effica-
as cosmetic wet wipes. cy against many microorganisms than
phenoxyethanol alone.

Microbiological efficacy
Germ count reduction test
Euxyl® PE 9010 is equally effective against To show the effect of ethylhexylglycerin
bacteria, yeasts and fungi. It is effective on the performance of phenoxyethanol
within a broad pH range, up to pH 12. It as a preservative, germ count reduction
shows higher activity, e.g. in preservative tests on Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC
efficacy tests (S&M KoKo test) (8,9) or in no. 15442) and Aspergillus niger (ATCC
germ count reduction tests, compared no. 6275) were performed with dilutions
of Euxyl® PE 9010 in sterile tap water
and compared to the single components.
Fifty-ml portions of the end solutions are
Euxyl® PE 9010 Phenoxy- each inoculated with 0.5 ml microor-
[%] ethanol [%] ganism suspension and stirred. The ini-
tial microorganism count of the test so-
lutions is approximately 108 cfu/ml.
0.5 0.5 These solutions are streaked out onto
0.5 0.5 tryptone soya agar (Pseudomonas aeru-
ginosa) or sabouraud-dextrose 4.0% agar
0.25 0.5
(Aspergillus niger) after 3, 6, 24, 48, 72
0.5 0.5 and 168 hours depending on the test or-
0.25 0.5 ganism. The cultures are incubated for
0.5 0.5 48 hours at 37 °C or 72 hours at 25 -
27 °C.
The evaluation is made on the basis of
0.5 1.0 semi-quantitative assessment of the mi-
0.5 1.0 crobial growth of the streaks.
As Fig. 3 clearly demonstrate, ethylhexyl-
glycerin, without having any efficacy
0.25 0.5 against Pseudomonas aeruginosa or As-
0.25 0.25 pergillus niger alone (green line), boosts
the efficacy of phenoxyethanol as the
preservative active in Euxyl® PE 9010 (blue
0.25 0.5 line) compared to phenoxyethanol alone
(red line). The improved efficacy of the
combination can be seen after a short
period of time.

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Mode of action

Ethylhexylglycerin has a chemical struc-

ture comparable to surfactants. A calcu-
lated HLB-value of 7.4 means that it be-
longs to the group of wetting agents or
water-in-oil emulsifiers. It is able to re-
duce the surface tension of water sig-
nificantly (Fig. 4a).
In combination with phenoxyethanol in
Euxyl® PE 9010 an additional reduction
of the surface tension can be observed.
For a 1.0% solution of Euxyl® PE 9010 in
water the surface tension is 32.1 mN/m
(water: 72.6 mN/m). This is even lower
than the surface tension of 0.1% ethyl-
hexylglycerin, as the contact angles of
the corresponding water drops on mate-
rials like polyethylene clearly demon-
strate (Fig. 4b). Fig. 3 Germ count reduction in tap water achieved by Euxyl® PE 9010 compared
Although Euxyl® PE 9010 significantly re- to the single components against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Aspergillus niger
duces the interfacial tension in a foaming
test according to DIN 53 902, a 1.0% so-
lution in demineralised water proved to
be non-foaming.
Practical experience is used for inoculation. At weekly inter-
It is postulated that the addition of ethyl- vals, a sample of the test product is
hexylglycerin affects the interfacial ten- The effectiveness of this system in cos- streaked out onto nutrient media, incu-
sion at the cell membrane of microor- metic formulations has been tested in bated and evaluated semi-quantitative-
ganisms. This improves the contact of the S&M KoKo test. This is a multiple-in- ly. The longer the time before the occur-
phenoxyethanol with the cell membrane oculation, preservative efficacy test de- rence of the first microbial growth, the
resulting in a better interaction of phe- signed and validated by Schülke & Mayr. more effective the preservative. Experi-
noxyethanol at the cell membrane and A mixed suspension of Gram-positive and ence has shown that a well-preserved
an improved antimicrobial efficacy. Gram-negative bacteria, yeast and mould product should remain growth-free for

4a 4b

Fig. 4a Surface tension [mN/m] of 1.0% Euxyl® PE 9010 in water compared to 0.9% phenoxyethanol, 0.1% ethylhexylglycerin
and water as well as 4b the corresponding water drops on a polyethylene surface

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six inoculation cycles to ensure the shelf-

life required in practice (30 months in
the original packaging).
Oil-in-water and water-in-oil systems
preserved with use-concentrations of
between 0.5 and 1.0% Euxyl® PE 9010
proved to be well preserved even after
three months storage at +40 °C.
Fig. 5 shows the result of the S&M KoKo
test on a Moisturizing Soothing Balm
preserved with 1.0% Euxyl® PE 9010, as
well as with the single components.
Only the sample preserved with 1.0%
Euxyl® PE 9010 was proved to be well
preserved after 6 inoculation cycles,
while 0.9% phenoxyethanol as well as
0.1% ethylhexylglycerin were ineffec- Fig. 5 Result of preservative efficacy test on the Moisturizing Soothing Balm
tive. during 6 inoculation cycles
Whereas ethylhexylglycerin alone has no
and phenoxyethanol alone shows no
sufficient efficacy against microorgan-
isms the enhanced phenoxyethanol in
Euxyl® PE 9010 is proven to preserve this
Moisturizing Soothing Balm very well.
In rinse-off products containing high
amounts ethoxylated surfactants the
product is yet not recommended because
these surfactants are able to neutralise
the boosting activity of ethylhexyl-
glycerin. As the interest is high in using
Euxyl® PE 9010 also in rinse-off products
efforts were made to decrease the loss of
efficacy by adding complexing agents. In
aqueous surfactant solutions (10% a. i.)
germ count reduction tests of the com-
bination of complexing agents with
Euxyl® PE 9010 gave better results than
alone. Fig. 6 shows how 0.05% EDTA
and 1.0% Euxyl® PE 9010 can reduce Fig. 6 Germ count reduction test in ethoxylated surfactant solutions against
Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the presence of complexing agents

Fig. 7 Carbomer gels, gel 1: unpreserved; gel
2: preserved with 1.0% Euxyl® PE 9010; gel 3:
preserved with 1.0% of a standard paraben
mixture in phenoxyethanol
Pseudomonas aeruginosa also in fre-
quently used ethoxylated surfactant so-
lutions.
These results may encourage formulators
to check if the combination of Euxyl® PE
9010 with complexing agents can suc-
cessfully preserve surfactant based rinse-
off products. At this early stage of expe-
rience it is strongly recommended to check
the individual finished product as the ef-
ficacy might depend on the particular
formulation.
Furthermore Euxyl® PE 9010 is ideal for
the preservation of clear, transparent gels.
As Fig. 7 shows, gels preserved with the
product (gel 2) stay clear and transpar-
ent compared to a standard paraben
mixture in phenoxyethanol (gel 3).

Conclusion
Euxyl® PE 9010 is an answer to the per-
sonal care industry’s increasing demands
for new preservation concepts. It is an
broad-spectrum preservative based on
phenoxyethanol in combination with the
multifunctional ethylhexylglycerin. The

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addition of ethylhexylglycerin affects the

interfacial tension at the cell membrane
of microorganisms, improving the preser-
vation activity of phenoxyethanol im-
pressively. It is is a patented liquid con-
centrate with extensive toxicological da-
ta on its ingredients. Its physical and
chemical properties, as well as its micro-
biological efficacy, make Euxyl® PE 9010
ideal for the formulation of skin care
products. It is focused for leave-on prod-
ucts and ideal for the preservation of
clear, transparent gels. This new preser-
vative system is a reasonable alternative
to classical preservation blends.

Literature

(1) The Merck Index, Thirteenth Ed., Monograph Nr.

7341

(2) H. P. Fiedler, Lexikon der Hilfsstoffe für Phar-

mazie, Kosmetik und angrenzenden Gebiete,
Editio Verlag Aulendorf, 5. Aufl., 2002, 1305 –
1306

(3) Hagers Handbuch der pharmazeutischen Praxis,

Springer-Verlag Berlin, 5. Auflage, Folgeband 5,
1999, 425 – 426

(4) H. Eggensperger, Multiaktive Wirkstoffe für

Kosmetika, Verlag für chemische Industrie H.
Ziolkowsky GmbH Augsburg, 1995, 141 – 159

(5) W. Beilfuß, W. Siegert, Cossma, 2003, 6, 54 – 55

(6) W. Beilfuß, SÖFW Journal, 1998, 6, 360 – 366

(German edition)

(7) H. M. Fishman, Happi, 2005, Vol. 42, No. 2, part

1 of 2, 35

(8) K. Weber, J. Siebert, SÖFW-Journal, 2003, 6, 44 –

50 (English); 48 – 55 (German edition)

(9) W. Siegert, Cosmetic Science Technology, 2005,

189 – 195.

* Authors’ address:
Dr. Wolfgang Beilfuss
Dr. Marion Leschke
Dr. Klaus Weber
Schülke & Mayr GmbH
22840 Norderstedt
Germany
Email: sai@schuelke-mayr.com

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