ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 17 -- United States Patent no. 12,576,153, issued on March 17, was assigned to Alumier Labs Inc. (North York, Canada).

"Preservative systems" was invented by Sanford Lane (Sherborn, Mass.), Irwin Palefsky (West Orange, N.J.), Yamaris Melendez (Clifton, N.J.), Wanda Fontaine (Plainfield, N.J.) and Nadera Rickford (Toronto).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Described herein are preservative systems that can include xylitol esters and/or ethers, caprylyl glycol, ethylhexylglycerin, and 1,3-propanediol. Also disclosed are formulations such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products that include a preservative system as described herein."

The patent was filed on ...