Evaluation of antimicrobial properties

WHAT TESTS DO WE OFFER?

A laboratory test confirming the declared antimicrobial activity is performed using the following method:

1. suspension according to an accredited own research procedure
2. according to an accredited own research procedure
   
   

The assessment of antimicrobial properties may include antibacterial and/or antifungal activities of the product against:

1. reference strains, taking into account the most common microorganisms in the place of its use
2. natural human microflora, e.g. taken from the surface of the skin of the hands.

WHO DO WE DIRECT OUR SERVICE TO?

To producers and distributors of cosmetic products, medical devices and others that market products with antimicrobial properties.

LEGAL REQUIREMENTS:

Each cosmetic product, medical device or other product, in order to be considered as having antimicrobial properties, requires tests confirming the declared antimicrobial activity.

The tests are carried out using the suspension or disc method for selected microorganisms. These are not standardized methods, so the test is performed on the basis of a developed test procedure.

Mikrolab assesses antimicrobial properties using the disc or suspension method accredited by PCA.

OUR CERTIFICATES AND AUTHORIZATIONS:

Mikrolab has the Research Laboratory Accreditation Certificate issued by the Polish Center for Accreditation, accreditation number AB1531.
The scope of accreditation has been extended to include testing antimicrobial properties using the suspension method and the disc method - NEW!

Mikrolab has the authorization of the Chief Pharmaceutical Inspector for the production (testing)
medicinal products and investigational medicinal products (for clinical trials) in the scope of
microbiological quality control of non-sterile products.

Mikrolab has a GMP certificate approved by the Chief Pharmaceutical Inspector.

Mikrolab has been approved by the State Sanitary Inspection for water testing. The test results are honored by the Sanitary and Epidemiological Stations.

WHY SHOULD ANTIMICROBIAL ASSESSMENT TESTS BE PERFORMED?

Products with the addition of substances with antimicrobial properties are getting bigger and bigger
industrial and utilitarian importance.

These are products that contain ingredients such as alcohols, lactic acid, essential oils, plant extracts, zinc, thanks to which they can show such effects.

Such products include, among others:

1. hand gels,
2. antibacterial wet wipes,
3. anti-acne products,
4. intimate hygiene products,
5. anti-dandruff shampoos.

In order to demonstrate the antimicrobial activity of a cosmetic product, it is necessary to carry out tests to confirm or exclude such properties.

Taking into account the intended use of a given antimicrobial product, when demonstrating its activity, microorganisms that live on the surface of the body on which the given cosmetic is to be used should be used in the test.

In the case of conducting tests for the antimicrobial effectiveness of soaps or antibacterial liquids, it would be advisable to use Staphylococcus aureus strains
and Escherichia coli, pathogens that are responsible for skin infections and food poisoning, known as "dirty hand diseases". In the study, it would be worth using a mixture of microorganisms naturally occurring on the surface of the skin of the hands, taken from volunteers, among which other pathogenic microorganisms may occur.

In turn, for products used for acne skin, it is essential to use the Cutibacterium acnes strain (formerly Propionibacterium acnes), which is one of the causes of skin problems. The formation of acne is associated with the incorrect operation of the hair-sebaceous apparatus. Excessive activity of the sebaceous glands, clogging of the hair follicle openings, colonization of the sebaceous gland ducts by Cutibacterium acnes bacteria is the cause of the inflammatory reaction, the visible trace of which is an acne pustule. Therefore, when examining the antimicrobial properties of anti-acne products, the first thing to demonstrate is the effect on this strain.

Anti-dandruff shampoos are another group of cosmetic products for which it is worth checking the antimicrobial effect. For this purpose, strains of yeast-like fungi of the genus Malassezia are used in the research. A representative of this type of microorganisms is, for example, the Malassezia furfur strain, which naturally occurs on the scalp, but in favorable conditions (e.g. reduced immunity) it can multiply excessively, causing many skin problems, i.e. dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis or folliculitis.

Another group of cosmetics for which tests confirming antibacterial and antifungal properties are often carried out are products for intimate hygiene. These preparations help maintain the proper pH, protecting intimate places against the development of pathogenic microorganisms. The most common ingredient in such products are metabolites of lactic acid bacteria, which support the natural balance of the microflora of intimate places, protecting against pathogens such as yeast
of the genus Candida.