How Should Microbiological Control Be Performed in Probiotic-Containing Cosmetics?

When live microorganisms are intentionally added to cosmetic formulations, an important question arises in conventional microbiological evaluation:
How can intentionally added microorganisms be distinguished from unwanted microbial contamination?
 ISO/CD TS 19838: New Approaches in Cosmetic Microbiology
ISO/CD TS 19838, currently under development by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), aims to provide guidance on applying cosmetic microbiology standards to different product types and evaluation purposes.
One of the key areas addressed is the evaluation of contaminating microbial content and preservative efficacy in cosmetic products containing live probiotic microorganisms.
An important distinction must be made: this work does not cover the verification of probiotic efficacy, stability, or product claims associated with probiotic ingredients.
What does this development mean for laboratories?
Reliable microbiological evaluation of probiotic-containing cosmetics requires particular attention to several technical considerations:
Distinguishing target microorganisms from microbial contaminants
Evaluating neutralization and method suitability
Selecting appropriate microbiological testing approaches based on product formulation
Assessing preservative efficacy in products containing live microorganisms
At SANİTER, we are leveraging our expertise in cosmetic microbiology to actively integrate new scientific evaluation approaches into our existing laboratory capabilities.
As we closely follow evolving standards, our priority is to develop reliable analytical approaches that take the specific characteristics of each product into account.
Because microbiological evaluation of probiotic-containing cosmetics goes beyond simply determining whether microorganisms are present.
The essential question is whether we can reliably distinguish the microorganisms intended to be present from those that should not be there.
New-generation formulations. New analytical approaches.
One constant remains: the need for reliable scientific data.