Q: Hi, I have recently bought your book and am in the process of making my own lip product. I was going to use phenoxyethanol for the preservative but after reading your book it made me think twice. My product is all natural with Shea butter, macadamia oil, jojoba, etc. Are you able to recommend any preservatives that I could look at using for my lip product? Kylie, Australia.

A: Congratulations on the big step away from the plastic lips in the drugstore. Lip products are very rich in oils and beeswax and can go rancid very quickly, especially since we introduce them to new bacteria from our lips, saliva, and fingertips all the time. I have to throw away my natural lip glosses all the time.

I am a firm believer in natural preservatives - and I see very good results from the blend of vitamins A, C, and E. You can skip vitamin C and double the amount of A and E. Beta carotene is good and it adds a lovely golden hue.

Cinnamon, cloves, tea tree, and calendula oils are natural preservatives and they also smell great. These essential oils can be quite irritating, too, so I cannot recommend using them around lips.

I have been experimenting with novel lab-made preservatives recently, and I love the way Tinosan (silver citrate and glycerine) works with very rich oily creams. It should be good for lip products, too. Don't worry, it's NOT colloidal silver. You can buy Tinosan in small quantities from a US based supplier. Please get in touch with me directly if you'd like their info.

I noticed that castor and wheat germ oils seem to works as preservatives when added to oil-in-water or wax-in-oil formulations. Maybe you could give them a chance in your lip products?

Hope this helps!

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