There has been an increasing awareness and usage in recent years for beauty & personal care products. Consumers today are exposed to a variety of products and information thereby expecting the best in terms of quality and safety.
As new innovative products & come-of-age cosmetic manufacturers vie for delivering world-class quality products, it becomes imperative to ensure that they pass the necessary regulatory and product claim benchmarks.
Quality & microbiological safety evaluation of the beauty care products has gained more prominence with time. This is where BRC’s continuous upgradation of capabilities for handling and analyzing diverse products helps authenticate its microbiological quality & associated label claim. In essence, it places your marketing USP’s a notch above your competitors.
What to expect from BRC?
- Testing products at different stages like raw material, prototypes, formulations
- Testing of packaging materials
- Adherence to the critical step ensures authenticity of data with respect to bioburden in your product.
- Neutralization of preservatives before initiating the tests on cosmetics and personal care products is followed stringently by BRC
- Best-in-class when it comes to sample preparations for finished products of different kinds
- Customization in preservative efficacy testing based on specific customer requirements
- A comprehensive culture bank catering to a wide range of beauty & personal care products along with specific company isolates.
Tests undertaken at BRC
Routine tests (NABL accredited)
Determination of microbiological quality of cosmetics and cosmetics raw materials, including pathogen detection
Products Tested
- Cosmetics
- Personal care products
Specific Tests Performed
| Test Parameters | Reference Test Methods |
|---|---|
| Total microbial count | IS 14648 |
| Gram negative enteric pathogens | IS 14648 |
| Staphylococcus aureus | IS 14648 |
| Pseudomonas aeruginosa | IS 14648 |
| Candida albicans | IS 14648 |
Evaluation of preservative efficacy in cosmetic and personal care products
Products Tested
- Cosmetics
- Personal care products
Specific Tests Performed
| Test Parameters | Reference Test Methods |
|---|---|
| Effectiveness of antimicrobial preservative / Challenge test | Official Method of Analysis of AOAC International 998.10 |
| Evaluation of the antimicrobial protection of a cosmetic product | ISO 11930 |
Evaluation of the capability of antimicrobial agent in suspension to reduce bacterial cells under defined period of time (Time-kill kinetics)
Products Tested
- Cosmetics
- Personal care products
Specific Tests Performed
| Test methods | Reference Test Methods |
|---|---|
| Standard test method for assessment of antimicrobial activity for water miscible compounds using time- kill procedure | ASTM E2783 |
| Quantitative suspension test for the evaluation of basic bactericidal activity of chemical disinfectants and antiseptics | EN 1040 |
| Quantitative suspension test for the evaluation of bactericidal activity of chemical disinfectants and antiseptics used in food, industrial, domestic and institutional areas | EN 1276 |
| Quantitative suspension test for the evaluation of sporicidal activity of chemical disinfectants and antiseptics used in food, industrial, domestic and institutional areas (Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633) | EN 13704 |
| Quantitative suspension test for the evaluation of fungicidal or yeasticidal activity of chemical disinfectants and antiseptics | EN 1650 |
Specialised tests
Assay of cleansing agents on in-vitro skin
Products Tested
- Cosmetics
- Personal care products
Specific Tests Performed
| Test Parameters | Reference Test Methods |
|---|---|
| Microbial reduction studies of acne causing bacteria | Standard & Customized test method |
| Microbial reduction studies of dandruff causing organisms | Standard & Customized test method |
| Microbiology of packaging material | Customized test method |
| Contamination detection | Customized test method |
Assay of cleansing agents on in-vitro skin
Products Tested
- Cosmetics,
- Personal care products
Specific Tests Performed
| Test Parameters | Reference Test Methods |
|---|---|
| Microbial reduction studies of acne causing bacteria | Standard & Customized test method |
| Microbial reduction studies of dandruff causing organisms | Standard & Customized test method |
| Microbiology of packaging material | Customized test method |
| Contamination detection | Customized test method |
Microbial load, Preservative efficacy/antimicrobial studies of packaging material
Products Tested
- Cosmetics,
- Personal care products
Specific Tests Performed
| Test methods | Standards against which tests are performed |
|---|---|
| Microbiology of packaging material | Customer/lab designed method |
Investigation of spoilage/contaminating microbe in various personal care samples
Products Tested
- Cosmetics,
- Personal care products
Specific Tests Performed
| Test methods | Standards against which tests are performed |
|---|---|
| Contamination detection | Customer/lab designed method |
Exclusive Projects done with the Beauty & Personal Care Industry
- Site assessment of a quality control lab of an MNC for adequacy of microbiological procedure
- Microbial analysis of personal wash bars for detection of Nesterenkonia spp
- Problem-solving consultancies for wet wipe production-resolution of contamination
- Human volunteer based studies: viz. cup scrub, glove Juice, hand/finger dip methods, using standard protocols of ASTM and EN
- Compare the germ removal efficacy of soap bars using hand washing machine (customer specified method)
- Evaluation of the antibacterial efficacy for toothpaste - dental plaque study
- Determination of antibacterial activity of toilet soap-BIS Substantivity Test
- Germ count studies on human volunteers palms (customer protocol)
- Skin microflora studies on human volunteers