Phenoxyethanol. MAY CONTAIN / PEUT CONTENIR : Mica ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is primarily used as a preservative, helping protect water-based formulas from bacterial and yeast growth. It is often paired with other preservation boosters for broader coverage.
What does Phenoxyethanol. MAY CONTAIN / PEUT CONTENIR : Mica do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is primarily used as a preservative, helping protect water-based formulas from bacterial and yeast growth. It is often paired with other preservation boosters for broader coverage.
Is Phenoxyethanol. MAY CONTAIN / PEUT CONTENIR : Mica clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it is accepted by many conventional and some retailer standards but faces friction because it is synthetic and capped by regulation in many markets. It is generally well tolerated at permitted levels, though eye-area products and very sensitive skin can be more reactive.
Is Phenoxyethanol. MAY CONTAIN / PEUT CONTENIR : Mica sustainable?
This material is typically made from petrochemical feedstocks, so its sourcing is not strongly renewable. It is considered readily biodegradable, which improves its environmental profile compared with more persistent preservation systems.
Is Phenoxyethanol. MAY CONTAIN / PEUT CONTENIR : Mica COSMOS-approved?
It is not permitted under COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic standards, which is the main reason its clean-standard alignment is mixed. From a Green Chemistry view, it scores better on biodegradability and effective low-dose use than on renewable sourcing.
How does Phenoxyethanol. MAY CONTAIN / PEUT CONTENIR : Mica work chemically?
The molecule is an aromatic ether with a terminal alcohol group, giving it both water-phase compatibility and membrane-disrupting preservative activity. It is commonly used around 0.5% to 1.0%, is broadly stable across typical cosmetic pH ranges, and is often combined with organic acids, chelators, or multifunctional glycols to strengthen preservation.
Last updated 2026-05-13