behind the bottle

preservatives

nobody likes a spoiled soap

For most water-based products, the use of a preservative is necessary. At method, we always use safe, environmentally compatible preservatives in the products we need to preserve. These preservatives keep the product safe and effective over the life of the product.

Since most of method's ingredients are made from natural materials like plant oils and starches, preservatives are most often necessary to keep them from spoiling. Spoiling would reduce the effectiveness of the products and could result in exposure to potentially harmful bacteria. To prevent this, we use low levels of safe, approved preservatives. We choose these preservatives by comprehensively reviewing their human health and environmental characteristics, with the help of our material assessment partners at EPEA & MBDC.

One of the preservatives we use frequently is a blend of methylchloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone. We have rigorously investigated the health and environmental effects of both and have found them to be safe for people and the environment. We choose to use this blend because it is biodegradable, non-carcinogenic, is not a formaldehyde releaser, and because it is highly effective at minute levels (under 0.1%), where it shows no adverse health effects such as oral toxicity, skin irritation or allergic potential.

In many of our personal care products we use a gentle blend of dehydroacetic acid and benzyl alcohol. We like this blend because it will not irritate sensitive skin and biodegrades in the environment.

We are constantly looking for novel naturally derived preservatives, and we test new ones frequently. So far none have met our safety, reliability and quality standards, but our product developers are constantly on the look out. If you happen to have developed one, please let us know!