It seems like a silly question, but we’re frequently asked why we use preservatives in our skin care and cosmetics. And the simple answer is… to preserve them. Nobody wants to open their skin care to find fuzzy mold or bacteria growing. Or worse, to use skin care that looks fine only to discover it isn’t. Preservatives are a necessity to keep products stable and safe.
Each portion of a product’s life cycle presents challenges for preventing bacteria and fungi from growing. Raw ingredients must be tested and preserved prior to being used. Once manufactured, products intended for distribution generally need to be shelf stable for two to three years. And finally, the products must be resilient enough to stay fresh for months after you’ve opened and started using them. It’s almost impossible to create a product that doesn’t rely on some type of preservative.
The Preservative-Free Movement
We’re highly suspicious when we hear brands hyping preservative-free products. In all but a very few scenarios, this simply isn’t a long-term viable strategy. The products would almost have no long-term stability and probably wouldn’t hold up well during daily use. Besides, the raw ingredients likely contain some trace amount of preservatives. Regardless, opting to avoid preservatives is a risk we’re not willing to take – nor should consumers.
Smart shoppers demanded better ingredients.
Until a few years ago, very few people thought about what was in their skin care products, let alone what was keeping them fresh. But as the internet helped disseminate information - and smart shoppers educated themselves – shoppers began to scrutinize the ingredients in the products they purchase. And one of the earliest controversial ingredients to gain infamy was a group of preservatives known as parabens.
This previously widely-used group of preservatives, such as methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben and isobutylparaben, etc. (essentially anything ending in -paraben) rapidly fell out of favor as smart shoppers discovered studies indicating parabens were hormone disruptors. This led to fears of increased risks of breast cancer and potential reproductive toxicity. Moreover, concern worsened as other studies indicated bio accumulation might be a risk factor too.
Initial excitement and acceptance of phenoxyethanol has begun to fade as additional studies and research indicate that, while it’s generally accepted as safe, it’s not without incidents.
In 2012, when the European Union banned or strictly regulated the use of parabens the shift away from parabens was swift, especially among brands that strove to be natural. But more importantly, consumers were now growing more savvy about ingredients in general. And it didn’t take long for this growing knowledge to take aim at other controversial formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, such as DMDM hydantoin and imadozolidinyl urea. The result: these preservatives also saw their use quickly discontinued due to their potential toxicity and carcinogenic contaminant risks.
A movement began to coalesce around “clean beauty” products. Where manufacturers choose safer or more natural ingredients. From preservatives to other components, products gradually improved. Whole Foods Markets was a major catalyst when they outlined their initial list of forbidden ingredients and then expanded the list shortly after. More and more retailers, even those such as Sephora, are now being stewards of clean beauty, even if it’s not always purely altruistic. This trend has resonated with shoppers who have grown leery of “dirty ingredients.”
Synthetic vs Natural Preservatives
The clean beauty trend accelerated the search for safer, more natural preservatives. Formulators were forced to shift from controversial or “toxic” preservatives to more natural options or “nature similar” preservatives. That is, synthetic ingredients that are identical to their natural counterparts, but which are manufactured in a lab. And while chemists might argue that synthetic doesn’t translate into being bad, part of the controversy surrounding these “nature identical” ingredients is how they’re made. Often, undesirable components are processed to produce the desired end ingredient. And this process can pose health risks to workers; it can introduce trace toxins or carcinogens; or it simply may not align with a clean beauty philosophy.
Once such ingredient is a wildly popular preservative known as phenoxyethanol. While it occurs naturally in small amounts in green tea and other plants, when used in skin care and cosmetics, it’s almost always synthetic. So, its first controversy is that it’s technically a synthetic ingredient being used in “natural” formulas. Additionally, its manufacture suffers some of the prior mentioned concerns.
Regardless, almost overnight phenoxyethanol appeared in a majority of skin care products. Its robust antimicrobial activity and wide pH range stability made it the go-to preservative. Admittedly, even Reviva shifted most of our products to this seemingly exceptional preservative.
From phenom to “baddie”
However, similar to parabens, phenoxyethanol has come under scrutiny lately. Concerns are growing over its abundant use and the potential for bio accumulation. Studies have also raised numerous concerns. Its reputation was further tarnished when a nipple cream for nursing mothers received an FDA warning over concerns of respiratory distress or vomiting and diarrhea in infants after ingesting phenoxyethanol and chlorphenesin used in the products.
Initial excitement and acceptance of phenoxyethanol has begun to fade as additional studies and research indicate that, while it’s generally accepted as safe, it’s not without incidents. This is why internationally, its use is restricted to a 1% or less concentration. And once again, many retailers are starting to direct their brands away from this preservative.
Fortunately, research into cleaner preservative solutions is robust. In fact, as formulators seek to create better and more natural products, the need to preserve them safely and cleanly is a major area of development. That said, there are many tried and true “natural” preservatives that have been in use for decades. Various alcohols and acids have been used to counteract microbes for years. Benzyl Alcohol and Phenethyl Alcohol are two relatively safe and accepted alcohol-derived preservatives. Caprylhydroxamic acid or dehydroacetic acid are also two popular acidic, yet gentle, preservative options.
There are trade offs with natural leaning preservatives.
Most natural preservatives aren’t as broad spectrum or potentially potent as some synthetic options – and so additional preservative boosting ingredients are often required. It’s why you’ll often see preservative “cocktails” that utilize two, three, four, or five preservative and preservative boosting ingredient combinations in more natural oriented products.
Combinations such as benzyl alcohol with ethylhexylglycerin or glyceryl caprylate and glyceryl undecylenate boosted with the addition of potassium sorbate are common. This multi-pronged approach to preservation helps products remain fresh and reduces the amount of each individual ingredient required overall. By using a combination of preservatives instead of having 2% of one ingredient, you can have 1/2% of multiple ingredients to create a more capable and broad spectrum preservative solution.
It’s not just about shelf stability
Preservatives have to work on the shelf and after you buy the product and begin using it. For jarred products or balms that you directly touch, it means every time you dip in a finger or touch your lips to the product, you’re introducing microbes to the product. Even when using dispensing pumps or tubed products it’s common to “touch” the dispenser leading to the transfer of contamination. Preservatives must combat against a multitude of bacteria, fungus, yeast, and more. So, a product’s preservative system has to last years on a shelf and then hold up against daily use too.
Becoming phenoxyethanol free
In early 2019, Reviva Labs began to reevaluate our preservative system. Like most of our competitors, we had shifted to rely heavily on phenoxyethanol. But, as concerns grew about this ingredient, we felt we could do better. So, we decided to take the lead in replacing it. This kicked off a lengthy journey to find an optimal alternative for each formula.
This meant endless testing and formula iterations until we created the perfect phenoxyethanol-free product versions. And then we put these new formulas through preservative efficacy testing (PET evaluation) to ensure shelf stability. It took nearly a year to complete the process, but we’ve made tremendous progress.
As we near the end of 2020, we’ve successfully removed phenoxyethanol from fifteen, soon to be eighteen, items. Most of them are our top sellers. And with each manufacturing run, we change over another product to be phenoxyethanl free. And while we’re not steadfastly opposed to phenoxyethanol, especially at 1% or under or when it makes sense, we’re still actively working to phase it out of up to 95% (if not all) of our products by the end of 2021. The result; we’re preserving what’s great about Reviva’s skin care as we make our clean beauty even cleaner.
Related Reading
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jdv.15944
https://www.truthinaging.com/review/fda-warning-on-phenoxyethanol
https://www.byrdie.com/phenoxyethanol-for-skin-4707740
https://www.byrdie.com/benzyl-alcohol-for-skin-4774552
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