Because antimicrobial preservatives used in virtually all cosmetics exhibit degrees of adverse human toxicity that have become of increasing concern, a three element system is disclosed that eliminates the need for cosmetic preservatives and their degradation fragments that may exhibit toxicity. Element 1 comprises a cosmetic formulation not containing any preservative components. Element 2 is an individual unit dose of an Element 1 cosmetic formulation in a microbially-impenetrable disposable container. Element 3 comprises the sterilization of the sealed unit dose disposable container, employing heat or, preferably, employing ionizing radiation.