Talking - Phenoxyethanol as a Preservative.

It is unwise to purchase cosmetics / products that have not been preserved. Water is very prone to bacterial growth and without a suitable preservative bacteria that is too small for the human eye to see, can grow in your product without you knowing.

However, there are different types of preservatives. Those for water only products, water in oil products and oil in water products. It all depends on the type of product you have purchased and the ratio of oil to water in a product - each 'type' of product requires a different preservative to ensure that the product is safe to use and will prevent bacterial, fungal of mould growth.

Then there is the matter of natural versus synthetic preservative!

We only use natural preservatives.

Phenoxyethanol

While phenoxyethanol is used widely to preserve cosmetics, it is not acceptable in natural products for a number of reasons. While there are pros for the use of this preservative, we do not use it in our products due to it being a synthetic ingredient (negating our natural philosophy) and that it can have some unpleasant side effects.

Webmd.com reports the possible side effects of this ingredient.

'Cons of Phenoxyethanol

It can be considered dangerous. The use of products that contain phenoxyethanol is linked to reactions that may be life-threatening. If you do use products containing phenoxyethanol as a preservative, be aware of how much you’re using each day, especially around infants.

You may be allergic. If you’re allergic to phenoxyethanol, you may develop a rash like hives on your skin where the product was applied. In severe cases, you may experience anaphylaxis. One study showed that parabens may enhance the effects of phenoxyethanol, leading to a stronger reaction.

It may irritate eczema. If your skin is already sensitive because of eczema, avoid products with higher concentrations of phenoxyethanol. If you do have a reaction, discontinue use. Most cases of a skin reaction clear up within days or weeks once you stop using the product.'

This information is copied from the Webmd site.

So while it works as a preservative we avoid it due to its synthetic composition and the possible side effects.

We make sure that we use only natural preservatives in all of our products.

NOTE - we also do not incorporate any parabens in our products.