Preservatives are chemicals that kill bacteria, fungi and molds. They are commonly present in ANY product that contains water. For this reason, oil-based skin care products and anhydrous (water free) skin care products, do not need preservatives.

However, creams, lotions and any other product where water is present, require adding a preservative.

 If you do NOT use a preservative, or if you decide to believe the hype and try out a "natural" preservative (such as grapefruit seed extracts), then you are putting yourself, and your skin, at RISK.

The only way you can avoid using preservatives is if you make your products FRESH every week, and store them in the refrigerator. This is what we, at BulkActives, do.

We have now started carrying two preservative systems.  None are formaldehyde releasing, but they do contain other chemicals that have been getting an (unjustified) bad name (phenoxyethanol and the paraben family).

Let me repeat, if you make your products FRESH every week, and store them in the refrigerator, then, and ONLY then, can you avoid using preservatives. 

Shelf life of products WITH preservatives

with preservative = one month

without preservative = one week and must be stored in a fridge.

The reason why we suggest 1 month for products with a preservatives is because:

ALL preservative manufacturers recommend that proper stress tests and plate counts are done under various temperatures and storage conditions, in order to calculate the correct amount of preservative used in a product in relation to the ingredients used.

This can take as long as 2 years.

Note that if you are planning on selling your products (on ebay etc.) then it is essential (to legally protect YOU) that this process is followed, preferably by a qualified person in a registered lab.

However, for DIY use, making a product (with preservative) fresh every month is perfectly safe.

Chelating Agents / Chelators

"Chelators attract metal ions to prevent microorganism growth or adverse reactions with active or inactive ingredients in a formulation.  Use of chelators is especially important when metal-sensitive ingredients are used ( such as L-ascorbic acid, green tea extract etc.) It is a good idea to include a chelator in any formulation for which stability of an active is desired." Source: Make your own effective cosmetic treatments by Carol Demas