Antimicrobial Protection in Cosmetics: Preserving your Formulations

Course Summary

This course is designed for formulators. The purpose of the course is to help formulators understand the requirements for their products – from a legal, safety, practical, and market point of view -, the testing involved, how to select the right solution and how to apply it. For formulators that are just starting out, the course introduces them to the topic of product protection. For more seasoned formulators, the course offers an up-to-date review of the current state of the legal environment, commonly used ingredients, and trends. In addition to providing an overview of the field of cosmetic preservation, the course also aims to provide context and a historical review.

Course Outline

• What is product protection and why is it needed? An explanation of:
  • What happens to cosmetic formulations when antimicrobial protection is not used: causes, consequences, and remedies
  • How contamination occurs 
  • Main microbial contaminants 
  • Antimicrobial product protection
• A short history of preservation in food and cosmetics - a historical review of methods of antimicrobial protection of food and cosmetics, their advantages and shortcomings.
• What you need to know about Microbiology
  • A brief introduction to microbiology
  • Microorganisms of concern
  • Preservative Efficacy Test
  • Challenge Test Criteria for product protection
• Regulatory requirements - an overview of the regulatory status of product protection ingredients
• Consumer/retailer expectations and trends. A review of:
  • How consumer perceptions are influenced and have changed
  • Clean Beauty
  • Natural & Nature-derived products
  • Retailer blacklists
  • Ingredient concerns
  • Apps & Websites
  • Microbiome
•  Traditional preservatives. A review of:
  • Traditional preservatives used today, chemistries and applications
• Product protection enhancer (Preservative enhancers, multifunctionals). A review of preservative enhancers and alternative/non-traditional preservatives.
• "Preservative-free"/self-preserving formulations. A review of preservative-free formulations 
• Hurdle Technology. A review of the technology.
• How to formulate for effective product protection. A review of raw ingredient incompatibility, manufacturing temperatures, order of addition, and incorporation into the water phase of the formulation.
• Formulation types and their challenges. A review of:
  • Major formulation types used in cosmetics
  • Why they require different preservation choices
  • Challenges of individual formulation types
• Resources for formulators. A review of sources of information.

Instructor: Donald J. English & Dr. Balint Koroskenyi

Format: On-Demand with Live Q&A

Course Release Date: 
March 30, 2026

Live Q&A Date: 
April 30, 2026

Originally Recorded:
October 2024

Note: in addition to the online, on-demand instruction and live instructor Q&A, Certificate in Skin Care participants who select this elective will also receive a PDF copy of the course slides. Course module recordings and quizzes will be available from the course release date through the end of the participant's time in the certificate program.

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If also applying for SCC membership, please allow up to five business days for application processing. Member pricing will not be in effect for Certificate Program enrollment until after the membership application is approved. 

About the Instructors

Donald J. English

Donald J. English Microbiological Quality Consulting LLC

Donald J. English graduated summa cum laude from the University of Charleston with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and has a Master of Science degree from North Carolina State University at Raleigh in Microbiology with a minor in Biochemistry.
He has over 40 years of experience at the bench and managerial levels in industrial microbiology and has worked in the Research and Development and Quality Control Microbiology Laboratories at Avon Products, Inc., GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare and Merck and Co.

He is currently a consultant that provides consulting services to cosmetic/personal care, dietary supplement and pharmaceutical industries. Has extensive knowledge in the following areas: how to adequately preserve product formulations by using traditional and non-traditional/alternative preservative systems; cGMP auditing of Quality Control Testing Laboratories (e.g. in-house and contract) and non-sterile manufacturing facilities; hygienic design of manufacturing utility systems (e.g. compressed air and water) and manufacturing equipment; risk assessment; microbial test method development and validation; microbial content testing of raw ingredients and finished product formulations; microbial identification of isolates; implementation of rapid microbiological test methods; root-cause investigations of microbiological contamination issues in product formulations; and cleaning and sanitization practices of a manufacturing facility and equipment.

Dr. Balint Koroskenyi

Symrise Inc.

Dr. Balint Koroskenyi received his Master of Science Degree in Chemistry in Hungary with a minor in teaching and his Ph.D. in Polymer Science from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. He has held several positions in academia and industry encompassing 23 years of experience. He has worked in Personal Care as a bench chemist, as a technical account manager, and, in his current role, as a product manager for a total of over 7 years. He is currently a Senior Global Product Manager at Symrise’s Cosmetics Ingredients Division overseeing multifunctional ingredients used for Product Protection. He is a member of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists and the PCPC Micro Committee.