Factors Affecting Reduction in Preservative Efficacy in Nonwoven Fabrics

Insufficient preservative efficacy leads to microbial contamination. Cosmetic-impregnated products composed of nonwoven fabrics, such as wipes and masks, can be contaminated with microbes owing to their special form. However, the reduction of preservative efficacy in cosmetic-impregnated products remains unverified. This study aimed to investigate whether preservative efficacy is reduced in nonwoven fabrics impregnated with a cosmetic liquid and the factors affecting this reduction. First, we evaluated the preservative efficacy of face wipes and confirmed that the preservative efficacy was reduced after impregnation of cosmetic liquids into nonwoven fabrics. We thus hypothesized that the adsorption of the antimicrobial components onto nonwoven fabrics decreases the preservative efficacy. Unexpectedly, the antimicrobial components were scarcely adsorbed onto the fabrics, while microbial growth activity was significantly increased on the fabrics, as determined through microbial calorimetry. Furthermore, the antibacterial effects were reduced in the nonwoven fabrics. These results indicate that the nonwoven fabrics enhanced microbial growth, thus decreasing the preservative efficacy. Our results provide novel insights into the microbial control of products composed of nonwoven fabrics.