Skincare products contain preservatives, can they still be used? The answer is YES.
Most of the skincare products we use daily are not disposable products, but products that require repeated opening and squeezing. The process of repeatedly opening and squeezing it out makes it easy for skincare products to be stained with external bacteria, fungal spores, and other microorganisms.
Therefore, one or more preservatives are added to the formulations of most skin care products to prevent bacteria and molds from multiplying in them. This is essential for maintaining the quality of skincare products and preventing their deterioration.
However, there are indeed many preservatives that are prone to sensitization, but for people who are not allergic to these ingredients, there is no problem in using products with compliant preservatives and will not cause any special effects on the skin.
If you are allergic to a specific preservative ingredient, you should avoid skin care products containing this ingredient; and for those with highly sensitive skin or those with impaired skin barrier function, you can also choose products that do not contain preservatives.
Highly irritating ingredient of preservatives are as follow:
Methylisothiazolinone (MIT) can effectively kill a variety of bacteria at low concentrations. The maximum concentration specified in cosmetics is 0.01%. Excessive amounts can cause allergic reactions, and severe blisters, edema, and skin cracks.
Parabens have the effect of imitating estrogen. The maximum limit of a single ester in cosmetics is 0.4%, and the maximum limit of the mixed ester is 0.8%. Excessive use can cause contact dermatitis, and long-term use of large amounts may cause breast cancer risk.
The concentration of phenoxyethanol in cosmetics is generally 0.5% to 1%. Phenoxyethanol may inhibit the central nervous system and cause vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration in infants.
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (short for ETDA) has an irritating effect on the eyes, skin, and upper respiratory tract at high concentrations.
Non-toxic and high-safety preservatives are as follow:
Vitamin E, tea tree essential oil, and other natural preservatives, vitamin E is an antioxidant, and tea tree essential oil itself can inhibit the growth of bacteria. Trisomic acid and potassium trisolic acid is not toxic and has little harm to the human body.
The lower the preservative in the ingredient list, the less it’s content. When choosing skincare products, we can also choose those added preservatives with high safety.