MIC/MIT ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a broad-spectrum preservative blend used to control microbial growth in water-based formulas, mainly rinse-off products. It is effective at very low use levels, which is why it appears in shampoos, body washes, and similar systems.
What does MIC/MIT do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a broad-spectrum preservative blend used to control microbial growth in water-based formulas, mainly rinse-off products. It is effective at very low use levels, which is why it appears in shampoos, body washes, and similar systems.
Is MIC/MIT clean?
This preservative blend is a major contact-allergen flag, with tight limits and broad clean-standard friction, especially for leave-on formulas. It can be acceptable only in narrow rinse-off contexts under conventional regulation, but it is not a relaxed clean-beauty choice.
Is MIC/MIT sustainable?
This material is synthetically produced from non-renewable feedstocks rather than plant or mineral supply chains. It is used at ppm levels and can degrade, but wastewater release is still scrutinized because it is biologically active at very low concentrations.
Is MIC/MIT COSMOS-approved?
It is not permitted under COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic standards. From a Green Chemistry lens, its high efficacy at extremely low dose is offset by non-renewable sourcing and significant sensitization restrictions.
How does MIC/MIT work chemically?
This compound is a heterocyclic preservative blend built around sulfur and nitrogen containing five-membered rings, with one component chlorinated. Typical cosmetic use is at ppm levels, commonly up to 15 ppm active blend in EU rinse-off products, and it can be destabilized by strong nucleophiles such as amines, thiols, and sulfites.
Last updated 2026-05-13