Costly product recalls are becoming increasingly common for manufacturers and many of the organisms behind them are far more persistent and widespread than brands realise. That’s why leading regulatory and microbiological testing house, MSL, is urging cosmetic and personal care manufacturers to strengthen their defences. The company recommends ensuring testing partners go beyond mandatory organisms and include the optional, high‑risk microbes now driving industry headlines, including factory isolates and Pluralibacter gergoviae, two of the most problematic hidden recall villains.
Contamination‑related recalls remain one of the most expensive and reputation‑damaging issues for beauty brands worldwide. Among the organisms responsible, P. gergoviae has become a universal problem, repeatedly linked to product failures. While it’s widely recognised as a major recall culprit, manufacturers are increasingly discovering that the biggest threats often come from their own environments, where factory isolates can quietly establish themselves and compromise products long before issues become visible.
Factory isolates, organisms that repeatedly appear within a manufacturer’s facility, are now responsible for many of the most challenging contamination events. These microbes can originate from water systems, raw materials, equipment, or hygiene lapses, and once established, they can compromise batches without obvious early signs. P. gergoviae is one of the most problematic organisms found both in products and within manufacturing environments, making it a key villain in both categories.
Ben Elmadi, Technical Manager – Cosmetics at MSL comments:
Whatever grows in your factory is what will grow in your products. To stay ahead of hidden recall villains, brands need to take proactive steps: understand and test against their own factory isolates, include optional organisms like P. gergoviae in challenge testing, strengthen GMP and environmental monitoring, and audit water systems, raw materials and equipment handling. Working with the right partner who understands these risks helps catch problems early. Stronger defences today will help prevent costly recalls tomorrow.
A complete service provider with more than 25 years of specialist experience, MSL offers an integrated regulatory and laboratory testing service for cosmetic and personal care products, delivering robust testing strategies that reduce the risk of future contamination issues.
Operating internationally, its in-house accredited labs provide a comprehensive range of standard tests, including challenge/preservative efficacy testing (PET), stability testing, pack performance and compatibility testing, plus tailored solutions to support clients’ individual requirements. As one of the largest independent Responsible Persons, its EU and UK Regulatory services are ISO9001 accredited as well as being insurance backed. Its in-house laboratories are recognised by UKAS (No. 4045), with its testing services accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 – confirming the highest standards across both methods and the environment in which they’re performed.
