Every skin care product needs preservatives to prevent bacteria, molds, fungus, and general spoilage from occurring. Unfortunately, many preservatives used in skin care products can have negative effects that negate the beneficial ingredients used in them. It is very important to know which preservatives are used in a product because this has a direct impact on the long-term safety of its use. The safest preservatives are natural ones, such as Rosemary, Vitamin E, and other specific antioxidants that prevent oils from spoiling (since oil spoilage is basically when oils become oxidized). These natural rancidity-preventing ingredients are not only very safe, but function as free radical neutralizers in the skin. They are an ideal choice for oil-based products.
Unfortunately, nearly all skin care products cannot be formulated without water and water based ingredients, which natural extracts are largely inadequate in preserving. Natural extracts do very little to prevent the growth of bacteria, mold, and fungi, which are the real culprits in causing a skin care product to degrade. To prevent these microbes from growing there are a range of more powerful preservatives that have been traditionally used. The most common are: Diazolidinyl Urea, Parabens (Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, Isopropylparaben, Isobutylparaben), Phenoxyethanol, and Potassium Sorbate.
Diazolidinyl Urea is a formalgahyde-releasing substance that is banned in many countries outside the US, but still shows up in a wide range of products inside North American markets. The formalgahyde that is released from this compound is a toxic chemical that numerous studies have shown to be incredibly carcinogenic to human and animal cells. It is highly recommended that you avoid products containing this preservative ingredient.
The full paraben range (Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, Isopropylparaben, Isobutylparaben) of ingredients are probably the most common preservatives in skin care products that are incredibly effective at preventing a large number of microbes from growing. Unfortunately, many studies are beginning to show estrogenic effects from long-term exposure. This means that these preservative chemicals bind to estrogen receptor sites in cells which cause tissues to change their overall form with long-term exposure, in some cases increasing fat deposits (yes, some chemicals in skin care products can actually make you look fatter). There is also some controversy over whether or not they contribute to cancer development. While paraben preservatives are less controversial than formalgahyde-releasing preservative like Diazolidinyl Urea, you should still give considerable thought to avoiding them when possible (though this is difficult as they account for nearly 70% of skin care product preservation systems on the market and are probably in products you currently are using).
Phenoxyethanol is both very effective against a broad range of microbes and has been shown to have one of the lowest irritation and adverse reaction profiles of any preservative. It and Potassium Sorbate are probably the safest preservatives from this list and have performed very well in toxicology studies. Both are globally approved for use in all topical products in all countries, meaning that all countries have found their use on the skin in topical products to be safe (while as the other preservatives previously mentioned from this list do not have global approval). Right now Phenoxyethanol is only used in about 10% of products, but that number increases every year as companies find it more compatible at a wider range of pH levels and also due to its global approval. It is also closer to �natural� than many other preservatives, as you will notice the �ethanol� in �phenoxyethanol� (ethanol being the same alcohol humans consume in beers and wines). Potassium Sorbate is considered a �food grade� preservative because it is so safe that it is allowed in food products in small concentrations, but unlike Phenoxyethanol that is a broad-spectrum preservative, Potassium Sorbate is only effective against certain yeasts and molds and therefore must be coupled with other preservatives.
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