There has been much
coverage in the press recently regarding preservatives in skincare products
including a BBC Watchdog programme. See link at the end of blog for further
information.
Consumers are often confused about the preservatives in their products. Indeed,
the majority probably couldn’t even name a preservative, or its functionality
or if it of natural, organic or synthetically derived. Let’s face it many don’t
care…but there is growing concern that mass market preservatives are now
affecting the skins health & appearance. Consumers are becoming more savvy when looking for more natural
preservatives on the market. How does
the consumer educate oneself to reflect their personal ethos surrounding
natural and organic products, often suitable for vegans and vegetarians?
It’s not too surprising we have such a hard time as preservatives are
listed by trade and INCI (nomenclature) Latin names that would leave even
professionals sometimes puzzled. The major cosmetic and manufacturers of raw
ingredients including preservatives are very sophisticated at corporate
competitiveness and gaining the edge on their competitors with a plethora of
scientific studies emphasizing the efficacy of their products.
All products require a preservative system to stop bacteria cultivating
and kill bacteria where it does. Preservatives
are clever, they extend the shelf life of a product. Most products require a
preservative unless a product contains
no water, or exposure to it, the product will need a cost effective and
suitable, stable, preservative system.
So, what are the most common preservatives?
Most skincare manufacturers will use one of the new breed of
preservatives including Methylisothiazolinone
(MI), Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin. Benzyl
Alcohol, Salicylic Acid, Glycerine, Sorbic Acid. Grapefruit Seed Extract,
Vitamin E (anti-oxidant). The last three
are a more natural preservative and used in many natural and organic ranges.
The levels of preservatives in products are limited by EU regulations for
products sold within Europe. If you want to know the ingredients in your
products and what they mean in layman’s terms, an excellent guide is available
on the Beauty Bible pages http://beautybible.com/green-pages/a-to-z-of-ingredients/
There
has been a lot of negative press recently about MI. Products likely to contain
MI include shampoos, sun care, skincare, bath salts & scrubs and kitchen
and bathroom cleaning products. If you start getting contact dermatitis or a
bad reaction to a new, or newly formulated product, stop using it and see if
the condition improves. In severe cases, contact a doctor for medical advice. However, many customers have no adverse reaction to M
Some companies have
stated publicly they may be reformulating many popular brands due to the
reactions from preservatives by consumers and concerns raised by dermatologists
seeing an exponential rise in contact dermatitis and other conditions linked to
MI. Brands seeking to reformulate include Nivea,
Brylcream and Vaseline and the popular sun tanning product brand Piz Buin.
However,
unless the EU reforms the use of preservative, it will comtinue to be used by
manufacturers who believe more
scientific facts are required before reformulating as it is a legal, recognised
preservative, hence the need for consumers to be more informed, just as in food
labelling, about what they put onto their skin.
So, next time you pick up your skincare or
bathing/kitchen product, check what is in it!
To view the Watchdog
programme and help you understand concerns of some dermatologists and consumers
go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mg74/features/mi-update
