Preservatives efficacy testing or Challenge testing is performed to determine the minimum effective concentration of antimicrobial preservatives required for adequate preservation of cosmetic and pharmaceutical products and it is an essential part of substantiating the safety of the product. Preservatives are included in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products to reduce the likelihood of microbial growth. All cosmetics and part of pharmaceutical products are subject to microbial contamination during manufacturing or during consumer use.
The hazards associated with product contamination depend on whether contaminating micro-organisms are pathogen or nonpathogen. Contamination by pathogen constitutes a health hazard; contamination by nonpathogen may produce serious quality defects.
Challenge testing method allows to determine the preservative system efficacy of a cosmetic or pharmaceutical product through inoculation of micro-organisms and the control of their survival time. With this test, the sample is put through quite extreme and severe conditions, since the product is inoculated with a great quantity of micro-organisms, unlikely to develop in ordinary usage conditions. The micro-organisms commonly studied are: Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Test results are available in 33 business days due to technical/analytical time (for detailed information click here) PROCEDURE 1. Choose the number of samples: send at least 200g of the finished product in its original package without opening it (if your product weights less than 200g, send as many products as needed to reach 200g). Chelab performs the analyses on cosmetic and detergent products.
2. Click the order button and read carefully the following instruction
3. Fill in the apposite space the information regarding your samples indicating the INCI (list of ingredients) of your products
4. Fulfil the registration form or login with your username and password if you are already a customer
5. Pay on line with any credit card. Chelab sends you the invoice
6. Send your samples to Chelab
7. Chelab publishes your test results in your password proctected area
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