It is inevitable to use chemical germicidal agents like paraben, imidazolidinyl urea and phenoxyethanol to preserve the emulsions which is usually used in cosmetics. Although these chemical preservatives are good enough to reduce the microbiological contamination, they are irritative, allergenic to the skin. Several kinds of polyols are used in cosmetics as moisturizer and solvent. In this study, we evaluate the effects of polyols on anti-microbial activities, safety and resistant index. MIC(minimal inhibitory concentration) of polyols determined against 6 germs including Staphylococcus aureus. The order of MIC was PG ≅ DPG ≅ 1,3BG 〉 HG 〉 1,2-PD 〉 1,2-HD ≅ 1,2-OD. The 2~3 wt% of 1,2-HD(hexanediol) shows good anti-microbial effects in emulsions without allergenic response. Resistant index of 1,2-HD was less than 2 and this value was smaller than that of chemical preservatives. The mechanism of antimicrobilogical effect might be disturb the membrane of germs by investigating using electron microscope. Added to that, using this paradigm, low preservative contents, paraben-free system, and even preservative-free systems can be expected from these results.