Safer Preservatives
Preservatives are necessary to keep products from bacterial contamination, which can cause spoilage and may cause health problems. However, many synthetic preservatives can mimic or block natural hormones such as estrogen, release formaldehyde, a suspected carcinogenic and/or cause skin irritations.1 Those seeking to reduce their exposures to potentially health impacting ingredients look to products with safer preservatives.
The Green Guide published a list of chemical preservatives in a recent article entitled Preserving Your Health that have shown no potentially negative health effects so far.
Sorbic Acid / Potassium Sorbate
A white free-flowing powder obtained from the berries of the mountain ash. Used in cosmetics as a preservative and humectant. A mold and yeast inhibitor.2 While potentially irritating, especially in eye makeup, these preservatives have demonstrated no other detrimental human health effects.
Tocopherols (Vitamin E)
Obtained by the vacuum distillation of edible vegetable oils. Used widely as an antioxidant and skin conditioner.3 The Cosmetic Ingredient Review, an industry funded organization, found that these preservatives have very little potential to irritate skin and posed no additional health threats.
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)
Used as a preservative and antioxidant in cosmetic creams and have shown little risk of skin sensitization and no toxic effects.
Essential oils
Many products contain essential oils with inherent antimicrobial and antibacterial properties, such as lavender, rosemary, rose, thyme and tea tree oils, to preserve cosmetics. They are used primarily for fragrance and flavouring. Ensure that the oils are extracted through a natural steamed distillation process – not with solvents, like propylene glycol, which diminishes the healing properties of the plant oil.
A study in July's Science News found estrogenic properties in tea tree and lavender oils, and both were linked to enlarged breasts in young boys. Parents may consider avoiding these ingredients in children's personal care products. Other essential oils haven't been independently tested for safety or efficacy; therefore it's important to follow expiration dates.
Grapefruit seed extract (GSE)
A controversial chemical compound, since recent studies reports suspicious chemical activity when testing products with GSE, either benzethonium chloride, a suspected hormone disruptor, or benzalkonium chloride, a skin and eye irritant, was detected.4
- "What's in Those Cosmetics?" The Green Guide, February 2000
- A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients, Ruth Winter, 2005
- A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients, Ruth Winter, 2005
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, May 2006
