Geogard 221 (Ingredient Encyclopedia)
- taralee
- Jun 26, 2024
- 3 min read
Geogard 221 - ECOCERT and COSMOS approved natural Broad Spectrum preservative. Fights against yeast mold and bacteria. You don’t need to pair with another preservative. Water soluble, but needs a solubilizer for watery solutions like toners and serums.
INCI; Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Water
Eye area Safe and Lip Safe Preservative
Benefits - Use as your broad spectrum preservative for aqueous products. (Products that contain water)
What products to use it in - Aqueous products (products that contain water) Don’t use in anhydrous products. (Products made with only oil soluble ingredients)
Why you would use in a product - to help fight against yeast mold and bacteria so your products doesn’t spoil and cause damage to your skin. Preservatives are so so so important! Don’t skip the preservative.
Usage Rate - 0.2 to 1.1%
Charge - This is not a surfactant and has no ionic charge
HLB - This ingredient does not have an HLB
Must know! - This preservative claims to be water soluble, but in my experience, if I add it directly into a watery product like a toner or serum, it doesn’t mix in. I’ve had subscribers tell me to try mixing it with glycerin, propandiol, or propylene glycol first then pour into water and mix. But it still doesn’t fully mix it. It looks almost mixed it, but not completely. So I wouldn’t trust that method for products you are selling.
How to Formulate with it - When formulating watery products like a toner or serum, mix it with a solublizer like Polysorbate 80, Polysorbate 20, Poly Suga®Mulse D9, or other solublizer first to keep it from separating out of the water. Add in during the cool down phase if being heated. If being used in an emulsion, add in during the cool down phase.
pH it’s stable in - 2 - 7
Appearance - Clear, light yellow to orange liquid.
Shelf Life - (check with your supplier) 3 years.
Heat Sensitive? - Yes.
Vegan? - Yes
Ecocert? - Yes
Cosmos? - Yes
Natural? - Yes
Emulsions - add into the cool down phase.
Watery Solutions (Toners, Essences, Serums, Cleansers/Washes) - mix it with a solublizer like Polysorbate 80, Polysorbate 20, Poly Suga®Mulse D9, or other solublizer first to keep it from separating out of the water. Add in during the cool down phase if being heated.
Personal Opinion - my favorite natural and ECOCERT preservative.
Substitutions - any other water soluble broad spectrum preservative. Some ECOCERT ones are Tristate Eco, Euxyl K 903, Geogard ECT aka Preservative Eco. Here is a link to a post of me comparing some ECOCERT preservatives.
Known Irritations or Side Effects - Always do a patch test before trying a new ingredient can possibly cause irritation just like any ingredient.
FDA Regulations - There are no regulations for this ingredient. Just use it within the safe amount.
How it’s Sourced - Geogard 221 is a combination of Dehydroacetic Acid and Benzyl Alcohol, which are both synthetically made in a lab.
Where to purchase Geogard 221;
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