Everything you need to know about our groundbreaking, patent-pending blend of natural ingredients that fights bacteria—and benefits your skin, too—from Codex Beauty’s scientific advisor, Marc Connell, and business advisor, Steve Trzaska.



Let’s start simple: Why do beauty products need preservatives?

“In short, to prevent microbiological growth. Products that contain water are especially vulnerable to microorganisms, such as bacteria, molds and yeasts, that can ruin a product. And so, a broad-spectrum preservative, one that’s effective against a full range of microorganisms, is absolutely essential.”

What kinds do you find in most conventional beauty products?

“Parabens are commonly used in conventional products, but studies have raised concerns about their potential negative health consequences—parabens have been shown to exhibit estrogenic activity that may be linked to tumour growth, for example. Another popular class of preservatives is formaldehyde releasers—such as quaternium-15, hydantoin and various types of ureas. These preservatives release formaldehyde into a product, thereby preserving it. Unfortunately, not only is formaldehyde a known carcinogen, it also has a tendency to cause skin irritation.” 

So what do most natural beauty products rely on then?   

“Often weak acids, such as salicylic, benzoic, sorbic and levulinic, which are considered natural alternatives although they are often made synthetically. Alcohols like benzyl alcohol are effective but can be sensitising, and phenoxyethanol is prevalent in natural skincare, despite it being a synthetic material.”

How is Codex Beauty pioneering a new system of preservatives?

“At Codex Beauty we pushed ourselves to create a natural, organic Ecocert preservative system that would work for even the most sensitive skin types while also effectively preserving our products. We trialled numerous blends of various plant-based acids, fermented extracts, essential oil extracts and more until we developed the perfect, pure and natural broad-spectrum blend.”