Hey!
Preservatives are one of the artificial ingredients in beauty products. They fulfil some tasks yet aren’t always beneficial for your skin. Can these substances cause skin damage? Read my post to find out.
What’s the purpose of preservatives in cosmetics?
As we all know, water is the basis for many beauty products. At the same time, it is a natural environment for bacteria and fungi. To develop, they need substances to eat. In cosmetics, these are vegetable oils, natural extracts, etc. Do you know a product can be contaminated during the processing? Ingredients and machines, which haven’t been disinfected properly, can be contaminated. That’s why preservatives must be included in cosmetics in order to:
- hinder the development of bacteria and fungi;
- keep cosmetics fresh longer;
- ensure that the product is fresh and its expiry date is appropriate;
- guarantee the product is safe for the skin.
Are preservatives safe?
Preservatives, included in cosmetics, are tested in labs and must be legally approved. There is a widely-available list of forbidden substances. If you have any doubts about a give preservative, you can report it so it’s immediately tested. A good and safe preservative should:
- affect the widest group of germs;
- be effective with the minimum concentration in a product;
- work with every pH;
- melt down in water;
- be harmless;
- be non-irritative;
How to buy cosmetics to get great effects?
A good beauty product shouldn’t have too many preservatives. They can’t outnumber the nutritional ingredients. Preservatives should be just additives – that’s the first thing. Secondly, go for pump-applicator products to make sure that you don’t transfer bacteria from the skin to the product. Thirdly, you can use natural preservatives e.g. tea tree oil, lavender oil, colloidal silver.
Leave a Reply