Why are cosmetic preservatives controversial?
Why are cosmetic preservatives controversial?
Conservatives .
For many consumers , this word sends shivers down the spine.
But is this fear justified?
Are preservatives in cosmetics as bad as we think?
In reality, it all depends on which conservatives we are talking about. As with alcohol, we find preservatives in natural cosmetics which have nothing positive.
They can be bad for the skin, they can cause the appearance of irritation and call into question the flora of the epidermis ...
But is this the case for all conservatives ?
Green Spa, your supplier of organic products for professionals, answers you: no, this is not the case for all preservatives!
Indeed, it all depends on the nature of the conservatives you are talking about. But there are indeed debates around preservatives in the field of cosmetics.
Green Spa explains why!
The scandals that revolved around “bad conservatives”
A few years ago, many scandals broke out around the actual composition of cosmetics . Creams, scrubs, oils… Everything is there!
These scandals revolved in particular around the fact that we never know what a product is made of: reading and understanding a cosmetic label is not an easy task.
It is therefore a debate which also affected the conservatives.
Preservatives are used in cosmetics to prevent the growth of bacteria, mold and other microorganisms that can cause infections or skin irritations.
However, some preservatives have been linked to adverse effects such as allergic reactions, skin irritations and hormonal disruptions.
Additionally, some preservatives are classified as endocrine disruptors , meaning they can interfere with our body's natural hormones . Endocrine disruptors can contribute to health problems such as diabetes, obesity and cancer.
Finally, it is important to emphasize that some preservatives remain chemical products. However, chemicals are often closely linked to environmental problems, for example the contamination of groundwater.
These are all reasons that have sparked a real debate within the beauty supply community.
The technical effectiveness of cosmetic preservatives: a problem for the skin?
But beyond all these scandals, we also find a real debate, which revolves in particular around the reason for being of the conservatives.
These have one objective: to fight against the appearance of any micro-organisms, to prevent the product from spoiling and becoming unusable.
The only downside: our skin is covered in micro-organisms, which represent what we call the microbial flora of the skin.
Which means that bad preservatives ( or overly concentrated preservatives ) can go against the natural state of the skin, and fight against the organisms it creates.
But fortunately, nowadays cosmetic product suppliers follow carefully chosen formulations to avoid too high a concentration of preservatives .
So this is not a problem to take into account when selecting your beauty products.
