Are chemical preservatives in skincare bad for me?

I love the phrase “the longer the shelf life, the shorter yours’”.

How true I believe this to be. It is said that females apply over 200 chemicals daily to their skin by using non-organic skincare products. That is a shocking statistic. Yet, sadly one that doesn’t seem to have helped the organic cause quite enough yet. An increasing number of people are turning to organic skincare (and indeed living an organic lifestyle). but we won’t be happy until everyone is living an organic lifestyle! So often, I will speak to people about the dangers of chemicals that surround us in everyday life, that in the main we can avoid. Yet, I know that, for example, some of my friends will still be using a lot chemical filled products and skincare at home, whilst at the same time agreeing with every word I say. We need to change this!

There are so many of them chemical preservatives in non-organic skincare, and sometimes even in organic skincare (be careful, always read the label). Parabens are now becoming widely known to being damaging to us. There are many different types of Parabens (Isopropyl, Ethyl, Propyl, Methyl, Benzyl, and Butyl) but there are also other preservatives which mustn’t be dismissed as okay for us. They include:
• Alcohol – very drying – just as drinking alcohol dehydrates us, applying it to our skin in a product does the same and is tough on the liver.
• Formaldehyde – this is a known carcinogen and irritant to the skin (it is also used in vaccinations but that is another topic!)
• Sodium benzoate – found naturally in some fruits in low levels but in skincare this is synthesized in a laboratory. It is known as a carcinogenic additive.
• Methylisothiazolinone- a preservative that commonly triggers irritation and allergic reactions
• Phenoxyethanol – this is being used increasingly as a replacement for parabens. It is glycol ether. Glycols are found in things like jet fuel and paint.
This list is far from exhaustive but I wanted to portray the general picture. Some would dispute this information. However, I would remind the sceptics about the use of asbestos in the 70s. It was thought then to be entirely safe but not now!

These preservatives prolong the life of products for possibly well over three years. At Heavenly Organics Skin Care, we never use any these preservatives. Nature provides us with natural preservatives. For example, our body scrubs are made with salt; therefore there is no need for an additional preservative. Many of our products contain essential oils, a lot of which are anti-bacterial and anti-microbial, which are natural preservatives.  Our products have a natural shelf life of 18 -24 months from date of production, without additional preservatives. For us and our lovely customers, that is more than enough! Our customers use them up well within this time because they are packed full of natural, organic goodness and actually work! So next time you are purchasing some skincare, stop, think, read & research!