Preservatives:
100% organic body care products with zero preservatives are all the rage right now. But to be honest, sometimes that is not necessarily a good thing. It all depends on what ingredients are used.
If a product contains any amount of water, it HAS to have some kind of preservative in it (soap is the only exception). Other products, such as the scrubs, that may get water in them from using it, also should have a preservative. If it doesn't have one, it will go stagnant and mold, and other dangerous bacteria, yeast and fungi WILL begin to grow within one to two weeks from the day it was made or when water was introduced into the product, (NOT when you receive it), even if it is being kept in the refrigerator. You probably won't be able to see these nasty things for a couple more weeks, but they have been present a lot longer than you think.
Mold, bacteria, yeast and fungi can also begin to grow if you dip your finger into it or use dirty utensils to scoop some out to use. These contaminants are dangerous stuff. They can cause severe health problems, blindness and even death. So you see, they are much more harmful than certain preservatives.
Vitamin E:
Many people think Vitamin E is a preservative. This is incorrect. Vitamin E is an anti-oxidant. It helps the oils used to keep from going rancid and prolongs the shelf life of the oils only. I use T-50 which has a larger amount of gamma tocopherols than other forms of vitamin E. Antioxidants slow down the oxidation of the oils. It’s the oxidation of the oils that causes rancidity - which can cause bad or off-smelling products, and the dreaded orange spots. Although soaps with the orange spots are considered generally safe to use, they won't look or smell as nice as other bars.
Grapefruit Seed Extract and Rosemary Extract:
Grapefruit seed extract and Rosemary extract are also not effective preservatives on their own. For them to be effective, there would have to be so much in the lotion or other product, the smell would be awful. Some recent studies have shown that grapefruit seed extract may not actually be a preservative at all. Rather, it's the harsh chemicals used in the extraction process that is actually the preservative.
Optiphen:
I use Optiphen Plus as a preservative in my products that contain water or may have water introduced into it through usage. It contains Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, and Sorbic Acid. All those ingredients have a low score on the safety scale (the lower the better and more safe it is). I will never use any type of paraben or formaldehyde as preservatives. My products will always be paraben and formaldehyde free.
In a perfect world, there wouldn't be anything toxic. We wouldn't have to worry about what health risks a product may cause. We could freely use and eat whatever we wanted without concern. But this world is far from perfect, so we do the best we can, weighing the pro's and con's of everything we put on and into our bodies and then choosing the right one for you and your family.
100% organic body care products with zero preservatives are all the rage right now. But to be honest, sometimes that is not necessarily a good thing. It all depends on what ingredients are used.
If a product contains any amount of water, it HAS to have some kind of preservative in it (soap is the only exception). Other products, such as the scrubs, that may get water in them from using it, also should have a preservative. If it doesn't have one, it will go stagnant and mold, and other dangerous bacteria, yeast and fungi WILL begin to grow within one to two weeks from the day it was made or when water was introduced into the product, (NOT when you receive it), even if it is being kept in the refrigerator. You probably won't be able to see these nasty things for a couple more weeks, but they have been present a lot longer than you think.
Mold, bacteria, yeast and fungi can also begin to grow if you dip your finger into it or use dirty utensils to scoop some out to use. These contaminants are dangerous stuff. They can cause severe health problems, blindness and even death. So you see, they are much more harmful than certain preservatives.
Vitamin E:
Many people think Vitamin E is a preservative. This is incorrect. Vitamin E is an anti-oxidant. It helps the oils used to keep from going rancid and prolongs the shelf life of the oils only. I use T-50 which has a larger amount of gamma tocopherols than other forms of vitamin E. Antioxidants slow down the oxidation of the oils. It’s the oxidation of the oils that causes rancidity - which can cause bad or off-smelling products, and the dreaded orange spots. Although soaps with the orange spots are considered generally safe to use, they won't look or smell as nice as other bars.
Grapefruit Seed Extract and Rosemary Extract:
Grapefruit seed extract and Rosemary extract are also not effective preservatives on their own. For them to be effective, there would have to be so much in the lotion or other product, the smell would be awful. Some recent studies have shown that grapefruit seed extract may not actually be a preservative at all. Rather, it's the harsh chemicals used in the extraction process that is actually the preservative.
Optiphen:
I use Optiphen Plus as a preservative in my products that contain water or may have water introduced into it through usage. It contains Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, and Sorbic Acid. All those ingredients have a low score on the safety scale (the lower the better and more safe it is). I will never use any type of paraben or formaldehyde as preservatives. My products will always be paraben and formaldehyde free.
In a perfect world, there wouldn't be anything toxic. We wouldn't have to worry about what health risks a product may cause. We could freely use and eat whatever we wanted without concern. But this world is far from perfect, so we do the best we can, weighing the pro's and con's of everything we put on and into our bodies and then choosing the right one for you and your family.
