Many of us use cosmetics such as make-up or shampoo to cleanse, perfume, protect and change our appearance or scent. But how do we know that the products we apply are safe? A new ISO standard will help evaluate the antimicrobial protection of cosmetics. There are several ways to protect cosmetics:

• Chemical preservation
• Inherent characteristics of the formulation
• Package design
• Manufacturing process.

The new standard, ISO 11930:2012, Cosmetics – Microbiology – Evaluation of the antimicrobial protection of a cosmetic product, will help test their effectiveness in safeguarding consumers.