of preservatives both in foodstuff, and in cosmetic - subject sore and relevant. It is much conducted discussions and disputes on their harm and advantage. What is preservatives and what they can be useful and harmful?
The main task of preservatives is maintaining useful properties of cosmetic and also fight against different types of mushrooms and bacteria, the contact to which happens at once after opening of protective film on new cream.
By all means it is worth mentioning that preservatives are obligatory ingredient practically of any cosmetic. The exception is made by products which expiration date makes several days, or means which you have with own hand prepared at yourself in kitchen. All other cosmetics, be it ukhodovy or decorative, surely incorporates preservatives.
The expiration date of cosmetic makes from several months to several years. At the same time it is also necessary to consider that means with violation of all rules of sterility is used – it constantly interacts with air and also with fingers on which there live billions of bacteria. Therefore during all expiration date preservative has to fight effectively against the pathogenic environment and it is reliable to keep cream.
Today scientists work on creation of preservatives with most broad spectrum of activity that there was no need to enter several preservatives into compounding. Preservatives join in cosmetics whenever possible in the minimum concentration at which they are effective against microbes and are non-toxic for skin. It, of course, concerns conscientious producers. If, reading structure, you have found availability of preservative in the first half of structure, it can speak about one: in this case the producer thought only of that, kind of to sell more means and about that it has longer remained. At that moment he did not think of the consumer absolutely precisely.
The most powerful preservatives in the cosmetic industry are parabens. Their use is justified when the amount of organic substance in means is very big percent. Cream has to be reliably protected from pathogenic flora, and organic substance is the favorable environment for its reproduction.
Properties of preservatives also some biologically active agents have. Such natural preservatives are antioxidants (vitamins E and C), extract of leaves of birch, bird cherry, pine bark extract, sodium benzoate (contains in cranberry, currant), essential oils, propolis, salts, the extract of seaweed rich with iodine. But, unfortunately, these ingredients cannot reliably protect cream from all species of bacteria and mushrooms and are rather additional resources of protection.
Many discussions are conducted about adverse effect of preservatives on skin, about various negative reactions which they are capable to cause. But you should not forget that any component of cosmetic can cause allergic reaction. Preservatives, also as surfactants and fragrances, are ingredients most of which often make negative impact on skin. It is necessary to agree with it and at the same time it is worth recognizing that preservatives render on our skin less harm, than microbes and microbic toxins and also products of decomposition of cosmetic ingredients microbic flora. Therefore preservatives in cosmetics it have to is completely impossible to be and refuse them.