What is my lemongrass bath gel preserved with?

Dear Soapman,

What is my lemongrass bath gel preserved with? I can’t find any preservatives listed in the label.

Signed,

Clean But Questioning

Dear CBQ,

Thanks for asking.

Your Lemongrass Gel Soap is preserved against degradation through oxidation (air, heat and time) by use of anti-oxidant containing Rosemary extract. The addition of Rosemary extract to our products allows for a 3 year or better shelf life under normal conditions.

Lemongrass oil is also a very good gel soap preservative. Although hard data is lacking, we here are all well aware that a lemongrass soap product will stay fresh much longer than an unscented one.

Most foaming gels are made from detergents. As such they require strong microbial preservation. Fortunately germs do not reproduce well in soap due to its alkaline nature, which inhibits bacteria; and soap’s inherent ability to break down the outer layers of bacteria and fungus. For these reasons it is safe to avoid using anti-microbial chemicals as part of a true soap based preservation system.

-Soapman