Preservatives In Personal Care Products

James Kennedy: I’m James Kennedy and I’m an author, chemistry teacher and blogger. Today I’m trying to break some of the misconceptions that people have about chemicals.

Chemicals are not dangerous in themselves. In this last section, we’ll explore the role of preservatives in our personal care products. Preservatives are essential ingredients in care products because they act like policemen, they keep the bad bacteria out.

There’s a rumor out there that preservatives can be harmful. Bacteria spread very quickly but preservatives are safer than bacteria. They’re added because we keep our cosmetics in the bathroom where you’ve got the toilet and the shower, and when you flush the toilet, microbes actually get pushed up into the air. So, when you open your cosmetic products, just for a second, the microbes go into the product. Without the preservatives, they would love that environment.

Now, if you don’t have enough preservatives, you’ll have a bacterial contamination of the product. Remember, preservatives are safer than bacteria.

Mom 1: One ingredient that I also had a fear for is parabens. And I had read up a lot of negative literature on that. But today I learned that it has been successfully used and tested, and it actually helps the product be stable and safe against bacterial growth, etc.

Mom 2: Everything is treated and it has additives to it.

Mom 3: Making the product, was… it was an interesting experience, of what actually goes inside the making of the product.