Preservative-free cosmetics are always a cause for concern. A study, performed under the auspices of the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, a part of the Danish Ministry of Environment, has scrutinized them, for a better understanding of the demanding market and a better knowledge of the offer. The outcome: nothing new, but a precise and detailed overview of preservative-free cosmetics.
June 17, 2011
Consumers, sanitary authorities, formula designers, manufacturers … preservative-free cosmetics draw the attention of everyone, a topic emphasized by
the parabens safety concern
.
Many are the users who prefer them to prevent using any chemical renowned as harmful or allergenic ; sanitary authorities worry about their toxicological safety; formula designers look for the best formulae that overcome concerns; manufacturers see this growth market as a further way to increase their revenues…
Everybody has something to learn from this Danish study.
The framework of the study
Spanned on a 15 month period, from September 2009 to November 2010, this research is about 89 products, which come with several mentions:
• preservative free
• without any chemical or synthetic preservative
• contains only natural preservatives
• parabens-free
The main families of products dealt with are:
• body lotions
• face care creams
• shower gels
• shampoos
• make-up removers
• tonic lotions
A detailed survey of the ingredients of these products was performed, first to check whether some ingredients had some kind of preservative performance, then to assess their safety for use.
