Bacteriological Evaluation of Essential‐Oil Based Products from a Local Small Business

Abstract

All‐natural, essential‐oil based products are becoming a significant segment of local small business. In fact, an increasing number of consumers are choosing organic plant‐based alternatives over the cosmetics currently available. Independently of the source of ingredients, cosmetics should be tested before becoming available for purchase. It has been recognized that microorganisms can grow and reproduce in cosmetic products, and may cause spoilage or chemical changes in these products, which can result in injury to the user. Standards for the analyses of food and cosmetics have been established by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM). The present study followed these analytical guidelines to ensure the quality and safety of All‐Natural products (defined as such by the business owner) from a local small business. The tested products included a lotion, a diaper balm, and a bug spray. Two bottles of each product from different batches were randomly chosen and used for testing. Each bottle of each product was tested separately using the Aerobic Plate Count (APC) method and the total coliform analysis according to the BAM. After incubation in the appropriate agar plates, no colonies were found. Therefore, all plate readings from all products were below detectable limits of these methods. These results indicate that the products meet the FDA's requirements for distribution to, and safe use of, the consumer.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.