Preservatives: what's all the fuss about?

Today people are expressing more and more concern over the nature of ingredients that are used to preserve their cosmetic and personal care products.  Sure modern chemistry has created compounds that do an outstanding job at controlling microbial growth and extending the shelf life of the product, but it's also been a source of alarm that quite possibly the science behind it all has come too far.    So what's the source of all this fuss--what should we expect and look for in our personal care products?

When I finished college, I took a job as a cosmetic chemist for a company in San Diego that created cosmetic and personal care products for some well-known and reputable companies.  Most often it seemed the all-important feature to every product was the "all-natural" claim on the package.  Market-savvy businessmen and entrepreneurs were quick to recognize this trend and incorporate this sentiment into their branding and marketing.

But beyond such measures I think we all tend to think with a similar intuition regarding the quality of our personal care products; that is we want them to be: natural, non-toxic, and effective.  So how did these "parabens, sulfates, triethanolamine, etc." get into our products in the first place?  Well like most things, it comes down to quality control and the bottom line...

Let me start by saying that all of our favorite personal care products and cosmetics--from shaving cream to facial toners, lotions to deodorants-- require a preservative to control the growth of microbial bacteria and extend the shelf-life of the product.

To any company engaged in the production of such products, such an aspect of quality control is of paramount importance.  The instance of new cell growth will increase with time as the product is habitually exposed to the elements of air and water.  Without an effective preservative agent companies run the risk of increased microbial growth that may pose a significant risk to human health and public safety.

This may explain why such chemical preservatives as parabens are used; they are proven to be extremely effective at hindering new cell growth and protecting the integrity of the product-- even when used at extremely low levels.  Not only are these chemical preservatives very effective, but because they are used at extremely low levels they are usually very cheap.  A lot of this is due to the fact that they usually comprise only about .05% of the overall solution.

So what about "natural" alternatives? Well, the good news is that there are natural alternatives (citric acid, herbal extracts, sodium chloride, potassium sorbate) that work to shield microbial growth, but they must be used in extremely high amounts.  Such high volumes more often than not will create unwanted characteristics to the product and make it less desirable to the consumer.  The reality is that natural alternatives to preservatives are proven to be less effective than their chemical counterparts.

I believe the relatively safety of chemical preservatives will never match that of their natural counterparts.  For this reason the best cosmetic products are made within the home.  Made fresh and used fresh.  In my next post, I will be discussing some homemade cosmetic and personal care solutions that are not only incredibly effective, but are 100% natural and preservative free.

All for now....until next time!