Preservatives in Skin Care Products
More like prevent-a-tives?
Under The Guise of Preservation
It's not about whether the preservatives should or should not be in your lotions, balms and salves. It's about a preservative free choice.
An Excerpt by Dominic Circolone Sep 07 2009
...Not all preservatives are created equally, so it would not be prudent to assume they are all the same. There is a substance being marketed by Arch Chemicals, Inc. called polyaminopropyl biguanide (Cosmocil CQ). I’ve been to websites selling what they claim are natural and organic products, free from harmful preservatives, that incorporate Cosmocil CQ in their formulas.
Does polyaminopropyl biguanide sound natural and organic? It is a synthetic polymer. It is a disinfectant that functions as a preservative. The word synthetic means it is not natural and cannot be organic.
Polyaminopropyl biguanide, the biocidal active in Cosmocil CQ, has been extensively tested on animals. Cosmocil CQ has a unique method of action: the polymer strands are incorporated into the bacterial cell wall, which disrupts the membrane and reduces its permeability, which has a lethal effect to bacteria. It prevents the growth of bacteria by literally making them burst.
From the Material Safety Data Sheet provided by Arch, Polyaminopropyl Biguanide, the biocidal active in this product, has been extensively studied for its toxicity to mammalian systems. Repeated inhalation exposure in rats over a period of 4 weeks resulted in eye and respiratory irritation and pneumonitis. Long term feeding studies in dogs show that the liver and kidney are target organs and the effect occur only at very high doses. Polyaminopropyl Biguanide has been shown in animal studies to produce skin sensitization.
Vegan and cruelty free folks, be advised!
Do we really need to use these chemicals posing as preservatives? My experience tells me no. I handcraft all natural lotions and creams that do not become infected with bacteria even without refrigeration, unless sabotaged with a "challenge test" or improperly handled.
The 8 ounce pump bottles that Mamma Michal’s Freshly Made Body Care Products sells help protect the freshly made lotions. You buy body care products so you can use them. If you use your lotion, it will not go bad. From the time we are born we learn to handle things safely and properly. Keep freshly made, all natural, and preservative-free lotions out of the bathroom. For longer storage, put it in the refrigerator. I have lotions that have never been refrigerated and are perfectly safe to use many weeks later. Some I keep around simply as an experiment to see just how long it will take to turn rancid. I’m still waiting.
I have no problem with the use of preservatives. If you feel you need them, then use them. My dispute is with collectivist communitarians declaring: come the revolution we shall all use preservatives in our emulsions. I’m free to make and sell lotions that contain no synthetic polymers, just like they are free to use as many as they deem necessary. The consumer will determine on which product they will spend their earnings.
