MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION OF PHARMACEUTICAL AND COSMETIC PRODUCTS

Abstract

Introduction. The increasing number of recalls of pharmaceutical and cosmetic products in recent years has made us aware again of how important is the microbiological quality of these products. The presence of microorganisms in there can become a factor of spread of infectious agents through them, if the contaminated products are processed industrially in large batches.

Material and methods. In this study, a search was carried out in the SCOPUS and PubMed databases using the keywords and the BOOLEAN operators "AND", "OR" and "NOT". The search generated 104 scientific papers. After applying the inclusion/exclusion criteria, 29 papers were included in the final stage of the study.

Results. A brief discussion of the different types of microbial contamination of pharmaceutical and cosmetic products is made in this study. Pharmaceutical and cosmetic products are particularly vulnerable to microbial contamination because they contain chemical compounds that favor the growth of microorganisms. Contamination can occur during production, storage and/or use. These contaminants can cause a variety of adverse effects, including alteration of consistency and appearance, phase separation, alteration or loss of activity, and even the appearance of toxins in contaminated products.

Conclusions. A major concern for manufacturers of pharmaceutical and cosmetic products is the continuous control of microbial contamination of the final products, in order to ensure the safety of consumers.