The challenge test consists of artificially contaminating the product with a known concentration of pathogens and monitoring the survival of these inoculated micro-organisms. The set of micro-organisms is related to contaminations that may occur during processing and storage of the products; as well as handling by consumers.

The Alpiguisa Innovación laboratory carries out the Challenge Test in accordance with the UNE-EN ISO 11930 standard. It consists of inoculating 5 strains of pathogens (Echerichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger brasiliensis) and monitoring the survival of these microorganisms after 7, 14 and 28 days. In this time period, the growth of the microorganisms should decrease logarithmically.

When make the test ?

The European Cosmetics Directive (76/768/CEC) requires that new cosmetic products placed on the market are first evaluated by scientific methods. From a microbiological point of view, Challenge Test studies make it possible to determine whether specific pathogenic micro-organisms develop in your product. 

This test is one of the requirements of the Product Information File (PIF) and should be included in the Cosmetic Product Safety Report. 

Why make it ?

The function of preservatives is to protect and prevent spoilage of the product by preventing microbiological growth during normal use. Through this test we check the efficacy of the preservatives in the product.

Which products should be tested?

For cosmetics with  aqueous ingredients and liquids , containing preservatives .

For    Solids cosmetics  with preservatives (for which a challenge test is not mandatory), a "Use test" is recommended to check the efficacy of the preservatives.

If you have any question please  ask us