Products developed as STERILE COSMETICS comply with a stringent charter based on the following 3 points:

• Sterilization throughout production
• A perfectly hermetic patented sealing system called "DEFI"
• Rigorous selection of only essential ingredients

STERILE COSMETICS guarantee formulas with absolutely no preservatives or substances with an incidental preservative function (unlisted preservatives). Since preservatives do not affect the formula’s efficacy, STERILE COSMETICS also mean that your skin is getting only what’s essential. STERILE COSMETICS offer UNIQUE SAFETY for even the most sensitive and allergenic skin.

Almost all cosmetics contain four types of ingredients: water, key ingredients, excipients (responsible for carrying the key ingredients) and additives (fragrance, preservative, etc.).

Formulas that contain water are more prone to microorganism proliferation. To prevent this, cosmetic manufacturers can either use preservatives and/or substances with an incidental preservative function to help reduce microorganism proliferation, or offer sterilized formulas that eliminate microorganisms as early as possible during the production process; in other words, STERILE COSMETICS!

A preservative is a substance used to prevent the proliferation of microorganisms in a formula. Appendix VI of the European Directive gives a list of 57 ingredients considered as preservatives (including parabens). Preservatives do not affect the formula’s efficacy. However, some substances added to cosmetic formulas for other purposes (adding fragrance, tone, firmness) occasionally have antimicrobial properties as well which prevent the growth of microorganisms. These unlisted substances, called “preservative-like” or “unlisted preservatives”, may include certain alcohols, essential oils or ethyl hexyl glycerine.

Technically, if you don’t use one of the 57 preservatives listed in the EU Directive and instead use an “unlisted preservative” then you can claim “0% preservative”. In fact, if their formula is not sterile, it must inevitably contain listed preservatives or preservative-like substances.

STERILE COSMETICS products are completely free from listed or unlisted preservatives. This unique STERILE COSMETICS technology has been made possible thanks to the work of Pierre Fabre Research teams.

D.E.F.I. is an acronym for Device for Exclusive Formula Integrity referring to the system used to keep a completely preservative-free product protected and sterile. It also guarantees that the product remains sterile throughout use.

• The tube that contains the sterile formula is made of two parts:
• The first is the cap, which is the actual D.E.F.I sealing system (lower part).
• The second, the flexible part, is called the sleeve: it has been especially designed to fit the new D.E.F.I. cap system.

Both parts, (sleeve and cap) interlock perfectly, and guarantee complete airtightness that allows the formula to remain sterile throughout use. The D.E.F.I cap is made of four parts, including a flexible membrane that rises when pressure is exerted on the tube and goes back into place when the pressure is released. These are high-precision parts, manufactured to the nearest hundredth of a millimeter, and guarantee a perfectly cohesive system. Airtightness tests are carried out at different stages of assembling the cap. Finally, the lid fits perfectly onto the cap, (no space between them) and it is closed by a tamper-proof clip that seals the cap until the tube is used for the first time.

An airless dispenser prevents any entry of air and prevents the oxidation of the product like the D.E.F.I system. However, a "dead volume" still remains at the top of the airless dispenser; this "dead volume" contains some of the product. This means there's a contamination risk for the product: preservatives have to be used. In the D.E.F.I system, there is no dead volume and no contamination is possible. The formula is 100% sterile and remains so for the entire duration of the product's use.