Contaminants Found in Cosmetics

As they say, all good things must come to an end. In the last couple weeks, Lotioncrafter has shared some great information on contaminants in cosmetics, all leading up to this, shall we say, grand finale of a post. We’ve saved the best for last.

Today, we’re concluding our Tech Talk with Lotioncrafter by sharing images of pathogenic microorganisms and other contaminants you might find on the dipslides in their Microbial Test Kit.

Yellow vs. Pink

Nutrient TTC-Rose Bengal Dipslide

In microbe identification, we think it’s important to know a bit about the media you’re using, so before we get to the grand finale, let’s talk about the difference between the yellow gel and the pink gel.

Nutrient-TTC is the yellow medium. It’s a general purpose medium, primarily used to detect coliform bacteria, which appear as red dots.

This is not to say that fungi won’t grow on Nutrient-TTC. Because it’s a general purpose medium, it will also grow yeasts and molds; they just don’t grow as well on Nutrient-TTC as they do on Rose Bengal.

Rose Bengal is the pink medium. Who could’ve guessed that? It’s used to detect yeasts and molds, but like Nutrient-TTC, it is also a general purpose medium.

Rose Bengal can grow some bacteria, but most pathogenic organisms won’t grow, including those commonly found in cosmetics: Klebsiella spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Streptococcus spp. Growth of Staphylococcus aureus is restricted on Rose Bengal agar, but not inhibited completely.

A Pink and Yellow Sea of Creatures

lotioncrafter inoculated paddles, contaminants found in cosmetics, dipslides

Because both mediums are broad-spectrum, you can expect to get a variety of growth, not just pathogenic microorganisms. Remember, the density of these microorganisms just needs to be low.

Most bacteria on Nutrient-TTC will appear as red dots, which are easy to count. Most bacteria capable of growing on Rose Bengal will be pink in color, similar to the color of the media itself.

Some microorganisms will shift the pH of the yellow, Nutrient-TTC media. This will cause the media to turn from yellow to green. It’s not a bad thing; it’s just a result of the growth.

And finally, mold growth is often easy to identify because of its fuzzy appearance. We’re all familiar with mold growth on food, and it really doesn’t look any different when it grows on a dipslide. It’s basically a fuzzy, hairy furball.

A Gallery of Growth

Here it is. The moment you’ve been waiting for. Some say our Gallery of Growth is comparable to Jared’s Galleria of Jewelry. Others are left speechless.

So without further ado, check out the images below for cosmetic microbe identification. And when you’re finished, feel free to download this PDF with all of these images to show off to your friends, or just to have on hand when you need it.

Don’t forget to head over to our Facebook page to enter the giveaway for a Lotioncrafter Microbial Test Kit! One lucky winner will be selected on April 30th. Just like our post, and you’re automatically entered!

Bacillus subtilis on Nutrient-TTC
Chromobacterium Violaceum on Nutrient-TTC
Citrobacter freundii on Nutrient-TTC
Enterobacter cloacae on Nutrient-TTC
Enterococcus faecalis on Nutrient-TTC
Escherichia coli on Nutrient-TTC
Flavobacterium capsulatum on Nutrient-TTC
Enterobacter aerogenes on Nutrient-TTC
Lactobacillus delbrueckii on Nutrient-TTC
Micrococcus luteus on Nutrient-TTC
Proteus mirabilis on Nutrient-TTC
Pseudomonas aeruginosa on Nutrient-TTC
Pseudomonas fluorescens on Nutrient-TTC
Rhodosporillum rubrum on Nutrient-TTC
Saccharomyces cerevisiae on Nutrient-TTC
Salmonella enteritidis on Nutrient-TTC
Serratia marcescens on Nutrient-TTC
Shigella flexneri on Nutrient-TTC
Staphylococcus aureus on Nutrient-TTC
Streptococcus salivarius on Nutrient-TTC
Streptomyces griseus on Nutrient-TTC
Torula lactosa on Nutrient-TTC
Klebsiella pneuomniae on Nutrient-TTC
Aspergillus niger on Rose Bengal
Bacillus subtilis on Rose Bengal
Candida albicans on Rose Bengal
Chromobacterium violaceum on Rose Bengal
Citrobacter freundii on Rose Bengal
Cladosporium herbarum on Rose Bengal
Escherichia coli on Rose Bengal
Flavobacterium capsulatum on Rose Bengal
Fusarium oxysporum on Rose Bengal
Lactobacillus acidophilus on Rose Bengal
Lactobacillus casei on Rose Bengal
Lactobacillus delbrueckii on Rose Bengal
Lactococcus lactis on Rose Bengal
Mucor heamalis on Rose Bengal
Penicillium chrysogenum on Rose Bengal
Penicillium roquforte on Rose Bengal
Proteus mirabilis on Rose Bengal
Pseudomonas fluorescens on Rose Bengal
Rhizopus stolonifer on Rose Bengal
Saccharomyces cerevisiae on Rose Bengal
Staphylococcus aureus on Rose Bengal
Streptomyces griseus on Rose Bengal
Torula lactosa on Rose Bengal