Microbial safety is an essential prerequisite of cosmetics, and preservatives are required to\nprevent product spoilage and damage to consumersâ?? health. Consumer concern about the safety of\nsome cosmetic ingredients and the increasing demand for more natural beauty products has driven\ncosmetic industries and formulators to find natural alternatives to replace synthetic preservatives\ncurrently used. In this study, methylglyoxal (MGO, the main factor responsible for the antimicrobial\nactivity of manuka honey) was tested for antimicrobial activity against a panel of selected bacteria\nand mycetes by using conventional microbiological techniques (determination of M.I.C., time-kill\nassay), and its potential preservative in an O/W emulsion was investigated (challenge test). MGO\nshowed a remarkable and fast antibacterial activity (M.I.C. values 0.150â??0.310 mg/mL), while the\ninhibitory activity against fungi was less marked (M.I.C. values 1.25â??10 mg/mL); chitosan has proven\nto be a synergist of antimicrobial effectiveness of MGO. Results of the challenge test showed that\nthe addition of MGO to a cream formulation was efficient against microbial contamination. On the\nbasis of our results, MGO appears to be a good candidate as a cosmetic preservative of natural origin;\nfurther studies are needed to confirm its applicability and its safety.
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