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Preservatives for cosmetics - General information and antimicrobial preservatives

An alternative to chemical preservation is the use of enzymatic systems. Enzymes are biological catalysts. Enzymes involved in the defense mechanisms of living organisms are typically lytic enzymes or oxidoreductase enzymes.

Lytic enzymes, such as lysosomes and chitinases, can attack the cell walls of micro-organisms, giving them antimicrobial activity.

Oxidoreductase enzymes, such as lactoperoxidase, exhibit antimicrobial activity. The antimicrobial potential of this enzyme is only expressed in the presence of hydrogen peroxide H₂O₂ and oxidizable anions (substrates) such as thiocyanate ions SCN^– or iodides I^– for example to form hypothiocyanates and hypoiodites. This enzyme is widely used in the dairy industry to preserve...