AntiMicro Root Blend - Ginger, Garlic & Wasabi (Ginger, Garlic and Wasabi extracts)- curlytea

AntiMicro Root Blend
INCI: Hexylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Wasabia Japonica (wasabi) Root Extract, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Allium Sativum (Garlic) Bulb Extract

What: antimicrobial; extract
pH range: 3-8
Restrictions: Use at a temp LESS than 70 degrees Celsius)
Solubility: water phase (liquid)
Usage rate suggestions: 1 – 2%

This antimicrobial blend of extracts and glycols helps your main preservative keep nasty bacteria from flourishing in your finished products. It’s effective against gram negative and gram positive bacteria along with yeast and mold. But wait!

AntiMicro Root Blend isn’t listed as a broad-spectrum preservative to fight all forms of bacteria and mold though, so you may not want to use it as a substitute for one. Some antimicrobials fight only certain stains of bacteria. I suggest the usage of a broad-spectrum preservative to help prevent all of the nasties. Think of the AntiMicro Root Blend as a booster that helps make your heavy-hitter preservative more effective.

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This ingredient has the added benefit of being made from extracts of Wasabi Root, Ginger Root and Garlic Bulb root. Aside from it’s antimicrobial activity, it looks great in your ingredients list. However, I suggest if you want to say your product has “Ginger extract”, for example, that you use a separate amount of Ginger extract. Same for Garlic. It may help make the actual product more effective than simply relying on this ingredient alone.

You’ll see this ingredient a lot in the more recent formulas I’ve created at curlytea.com. For example, the Amla and Black Seed Cream for high porosity hair contains this along with the broad-spectrum Phenylpropanol EHG ⁽⁹⁾. Add it during the COOL DOWN phase to your final emulsion. It’s liquid already so you don’t have to worry about it not incorporating well into the product.

What’s In A Name?

“AntiMicro Root Blend” is the name of the ingredient sold at makingcosmetics.com. But it has the same INCI as an ingredient from ActiveMicro Technologies(AMT) called “SynerCide Asian Fusion”⁽¹⁾. This often happens because the manufacturer owns the trademark, so some suppliers have to advertise the ingredient under another name.

The ingredient is made without being treated with ethylene oxide, “no sulphonation”, is not hydrogenated, and is GMO free. These facts are important because, according to the EPA.gov, ethylene oxide was classified as a carcinogen back in 2016 ⁽²⁾. Exposure to high concentrations of ethylene oxide can cause dizziness, headache, respiratory irritation and an increased risk of certain cancers.

“Sulphonation” (or sulfonation) is a process by which sulfonic acids are used in the manufacturing process of “antibacterial and disinfecting agents, synthetic sweeteners…foam plastics”, etc⁽³⁾. It happens when the sulfonic acid group –SO₃H is attached “directly to carbon in an organic compound”, for those interested in the chemistry of it ⁽⁴⁾. Talk to the cosmetic chemists to understand what that means.

GMO-free probably means they didn’t use genetically modified ginger, garlic and wasabi to create the actual extracts which make up the blend.

Why Ginger, Garlic and Wasabi?

Ginger is said to have “soothing properties” to “enhance skin barrier conditions for optimal moisturization”⁽¹⁾. I’ve seen at least a couple of Ginger hair mask videos on youtube with DIYers swearing that the powerful root can help promote hair growth and fight dandruff. I can’t confirm any of that though.

Garlic is said to contain “antiseptic” properties and is a “potent antimicrobial” against a range of nasties ⁽¹⁾. Some DIYers use Garlic oil as a treatment for the scalp.

Wasabi is said to have some abilities to “decrease the signs of aging” with its “strong scavenging activities towards free radicals”⁽¹⁾.

The combination of these three extracts may also have a synergistic effect, which could be what the “Syner___” part in “SynerCide Asian Fusion” suggests. But I can’t be sure of that. Either way, it looks very good in an ingredients list at the very least.

Glycols Help With What Tho?

In addition, this antimicrobial agent contains Caprylyl Glycol. Caprylyl Glycol is a “preservative-potentiator” which is a fancy way of saying it boosts the “efficacy of traditional preservatives” ⁽⁵⁾. It also has some skin conditioning effects as well. It has both emollient and humectant properties, according to makingcosmetics.com.

Caprylyl Glycol is found in all kinds of skin and haircare products; even in MAC’s Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation for goodness sake ⁽⁶⁾! lol

Hexylene Glycol, like other glycols, are used to help improve the feel of products on the skin. Hexylene in particular helps thin-out a product. A fancier way of saying it is that it’s a “viscosity-reducing agent” ⁽⁸⁾. It’s used when a manufacturer wants a product that’s not ‘gloopy’ or ‘clumpy’, for example, or wants a product that’s more runny (less viscous) and easier to apply.

Hexylene Glycol can be used as a solvent and is often found mixed with other glycols and preservatives (like in the AntiMicro Root Blend). You’ll also find it along with a broad-spectrum preservative, like phenoxyethanol. It, too, is found in a ton of products. For example, it’s actually the 2nd ingredient (as of this writing) in the Korean brand Laneige’s Lip and Eye Remover which removes waterproof makeup ⁽⁷⁾.

Bottom line

Unless one of the components interacts in some way with other ingredients in your formula, add 1-2% of the AntiMicro Root blend. Add it especially if you want to improve the efficacy of your preservative (boost your preservation system). It’s also a welcomed sight for your more discerning customers to see the extracts on the ingredients list of the final product.