What are preservatives in cosmetics used for?

And why don't we use parabens anymore?

A colleague once asked me why the company I work with did not produce preservative-free cosmetics.
In fact, the precise phrase (said in a somewhat aggressive tone as well) was:

" Do they have preservatives? Because if they have them, don't even waste your time explaining them to me."
All I needed was for him to threaten me with a knife and I was all set...

I, on the other hand, lost that time there, and the beautician became a loyal customer.

We will then briefly explain what preservatives are used for in cosmetics.
Actually, the word itself tells us: to PRESERVE our cream or cleanser.
During production, cosmetics could be contaminated with microorganisms.

The purpose of a preservative is not, for example, like that of a disinfectant (I cut and disinfect myself right away, to avoid microbes and infections) but to keep the cosmetic in good condition during its life, from "birth" and packaging, until the entire period indicated after opening (the number you read in the little symbol on the opened jar, which looks a bit like the spinach from arm wrestling).

So preservatives in cosmetics are indispensable.

Of course there are various kinds of preservatives, but lately we hear this phrase more and more often: "There must not be parabens."

The poor parabens, like palm oil or music tapes, no one wants them anymore.

Why

Parabens are preservatives that have been used for many years and are extremely effective especially for cosmetics that need to stay open for a long time.

A few years ago, laboratory studies showed mild estrogenic activity, that is, similar to female hormones, and because of this, they were accused of being dangerous to health.

Not only that, they are widely regarded as skin irritants and environmental pollutants...

In short, these parabens were treated worse than Chiellini treated Saka....

We will not go into the merits of this issue.

We will simply say that as a result of all this, many countries in the European Union have restricted their use and percentage (when not outright banned), so even the public has begun to no longer desire their presence on products to be applied to the skin.

The new cosmetics industry has promptly remedied this by incorporating gentler, eco-certified and, certainly, more customer-friendly preservatives into the formulations.

Liana Sassoli (Education Services Manager for Eden Nature Energy)