Booster ingredients or boosters are ingredients that are not preservatives in their own right but enhance the performance of a preservation system. Rather than killing microorganisms directly, they support the actives already present—for example by making conditions less favourable for microbial growth, reducing water activity, adjusting pH, or destabilising microbial cell membranes so that lower doses of preservative become more effective.
Boosters work best as part of a hurdle-technology approach, combined with antibacterial and antifungal actives to build a robust, broad-spectrum system. As with all ingredients, check the supporting data and validate overall preservation efficacy in your own formulation.
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Browse related categories to find ingredients that support different antimicrobial functions, from broad spectrum protection to targeted antibacterial, antifungal or booster activity.