ASCC Online Webinar Series 2026: Episode 7

Join us for an exciting ASCC webinar on Preservation in Cosmetic Science!

Why has my Product’s Preservation Failed?

Date: Thursday 12 November 2026, 12:30 PM to 1:15 PM AEDT

For a formulator, the only thing worse than a failed preservative efficacy test (PET) is a product recall. And sometimes a product that passed its PET still turns up contaminated in the warehouse, or worse, in the market.

In this session, Kevin Roden draws on more than 40 years of hands-on experience with antimicrobial preservatives to explain why preservation fails, and what you can do to build products that stay protected from the factory floor to the consumer’s bathroom shelf.

What you’ll learn:

Why formulations fail PET: the common reasons a preservative system underperforms in testing
Contamination after a pass: how a product that passed PET can still become contaminated in storage or on the market
What affects preservative efficacy: the formulation factors that strengthen or weaken your preservative system
Reading PET results with confidence: how to interpret your test data and act on it
Factory hygiene: its role in producing quality personal care products
Perfect for: Cosmetic chemists, formulators, microbiology and QA/QC teams, and manufacturers responsible for product safety and quality.

Duration: 45-minute session including live Q&A
Format: Live interactive webinar via Microsoft Teams

This webinar combines regulatory, microbiological and practical manufacturing insight to help you design robust preservative systems and protect your products and your brand.

Registration required:
Free for members
$30 for non-members

Kevin Roden graduated from the University of Sydney with majors in Microbiology and Pharmacology. He has over 40 years of experience in the application of antimicrobial preservatives, with extensive expertise in the regulatory frameworks governing their use and in the microbiological testing used to assess efficacy across a range of applications. Kevin is currently Technical Sales Support Specialist at Arxada, providing technical guidance to manufacturers on the selection, application and optimisation of preservative systems.