July 21, 2021
Preservatives in skin care - Which one should you avoid?
Common Chemical Preservatives in Skincare and Cosmetics
- Phenoxyethanol
- AVOID:
- Methylisothiazolinone,
- Iodopropynyl butylcarbamate,
- Ethylhexylglycerin
- Methylparaben
- Glycol ethers
- Ethylene glycol ethyl ether
- Ethylene glycol methyl ether
Why Phenoxyethanol is one of the best:
- Phenoxyethanol does not disrupt the natural skin microbiome
-
"Phenoxyethanol exhibits a weaker inhibitory effect on normal skin-resident bacteria than other cosmetic chemical preservatives (e.g. methylisothiazolinone, iodopropynyl butylcarbamate, ethylhexylglycerin and methylparaben)"
- Phenoxyethanol does Not have toxic effects on reproduction
-
However, the chemical and physical properties of phenoxyethanol differ from those of these glycol ethers (e.g. it is not volatile) and phenoxyethanol was not classified as a reproductive toxicant in EC No 1272/2008 unlike some other glycol ethers.
- Phenoxyethanol does not disrupt the Endocrine system
-
"In June 2015, the high-throughput Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA) determined that phenoxyethanol had no oestrogenic activity."
- Despite its widespread use in cosmetic products, phenoxyethanol is only a rare sensitizer and it can be considered as one of the most well-tolerated preservatives used in cosmetic products