When it comes to preservatives, there is a resistance to the idea that chemically synthesized things are no good anyway. But most preservatives are synthetic, and they need to be used beyond standard limits to cause harm.
This is because these antimicrobial substances, such as various essential oils and certain alcohols, are not regarded as preservatives either in China’s cosmetic safety technical specifications or in the attachment of the EU Directive on Cosmetics “List of Preservatives that Can Be Containing in Cosmetics”.
The addition of preservatives to cosmetics is almost inevitable. We should know that we live in a bacterial environment. Most cosmetics contain water and nutrients, and the water activity and pH range are suitable for microbial growth. Preservatives can effectively inhibit the growth of microorganisms. If preservatives are not added, the product is easy to breed microorganisms, leading to bacterial growth, mildew, product deterioration, and then bring harm to the skin health.
Even vacuum-packed products are isolated from airborne bacteria and the likelihood of contamination or oxidation is greatly reduced. But preservatives are often added to skincare products that contain active ingredients or ingredients that are easily interacted with. Otherwise, microbes will “reproduce” in the product and the face, the scene is simply ugly!