The simplest moisturisers are made up of a mixture of water, oil and beeswax (as are most basic cleansing creams). The problem with any product containing water, is that the product is likely to 'go off' if left on the bathroom shelf for too long. So conventional moisturizers include a bewildering range of synthetic preservatives to add to the shelf life of the product.
In an ideal world, we would use moisturisers without any preservatives. Preservatives are slightly toxic by their very nature – they have the ability to kill off living cells (bacteria, fungi, yeast and other micro-organisms) in order to keep the product 'fresh'. However, we have to be realistic about this issue and accept that in order to keep products usable, a certain amount of preservatives are a necessary evil. Having said that, some preservatives would seem to be more evil than others!
Parabens are amongst the most common preservatives used in conventional skincare products. British researchers have found traces of parabens in tissue taken from women with breast cancer, and although there is no evidence that parabens cause cancer, researchers have asked for the use of parabens in personal care products to be reviewed, as these studies suggest that these chemicals may accumulate within the body after having been applied on the skin. We have discussed parabens elsewhere on Scene Green and would advise people to avoid using any product containing them. Other preservatives that are best avoided are anything containing formaldehyde (studies suggest that it may be carcinogenic).
Moisturisers are available from 'natural' skincare companies, who do not use synthetic preservatives but rely on 'natural' or plant based preservatives such as essential oils with natural anti-bacterial action, vitamins, wheatgerm oil and citrus seed extracts to prolong the shelf life of their products. Aside from the issues raised above, these will tend to be more readily biodegradable than synthetics. However, it should be noted that many of these products will have a shorter shelf life than conventional products and many will have a 'use by' date. When using this type of product, it is probably wise to remove the product from the container using a clean spatula, as opposed to fingers – which may harbour bacteria and contaminate the products, thus shortening their shelf life further.
We would also advise against using any product on the skin containing nano-sized particles – often referred to in advertising as liposomes, nanospheres or something similar. A nanometer (nm) is very small indeed – a human hair is 80,000 nm in diameter. There is some concern that nano-sized particles may be absorbed through the skin where their effect on the body will be unpredictable.
Other ingredients to watch out for in conventional moisturisers include synthetic colours and fragrances. Fragrances in particular can be made up of a complex mixture of chemicals, that are not legally required to be listed in the product ingredients so we would always recommend avoiding them wherever possible. According to Friends of the Earth the following ingredients should also be avoided as they 'bio-accumulate” (ie build up in the body), so should be replaced by safer alternatives – alkylphenols, artificial musks, bisphenol A and phthalates.
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