Almost all personal care products today contain parabens. Parabens are preservatives. They extend the shelf life of our products. Without preservatives, most of our skin care products and cosmetics would either have to be kept in the fridge or used within a few days.

It is the water content in products that make them susceptible to spoilage. Water makes an ideal environment for mould and bacterial growth, and when we open our skin care products, air borne spores come in contact with the water and can potentially grow (this is why pure body butters are easy to make and preserve, there is no water). Parabens have bactericidal and fungicidal properties that prevent bacterial growth once personal care products are opened, thus preserving the product and extending its shelf life.

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In a world of increasing demand for fuel, rising fuel costs and peak oil concerns, spare a thought for the petroleum products(mineral oil, petroleum jelly) that get smeared on your skin every day. Yes, there is a good reason why Vaseline rhymes with gasoline: the inventor of petroleum jelly (petrolatum) as a skin care product came up with the idea when visiting an oil rig.

Petrolatum is a mixture of hydrocarbons that repels water and is used in skin care products where a smooth texture is required (as in lipstick) but is particularly common in “moisturising” creams and lotions. Almost all ‘mainstream’ moisturising creams and lotions contain petroleum products because it is relatively cheap, it gives cream a ‘nice’ texture, and provides an effective barrier on the skin, trapping in moisture.

This barrier quality sounds great, but is actually one of it’s downfalls. Using petroleum based products is often likened to wrapping the skin in cling wrap. It effectively prevents the skin from functioning properly or ‘breathing’.

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At some point a couple of years ago, I became aware of the chemicals in our personal care products. I can’t remember how, but I got really interested in the subject, so interested in fact I spent six months researching everything to do with skin care, including talking to manufacturers about starting my own private line of natural skin care products.

Recently I rediscovered my draft 60 page eBook I wrote on natural skin care and thought I would share some of the information I gleaned from doing the research.

It’s important to know what we’re putting on our skin and in our bodies. Up to 60% of what goes onto our skin gets absorbed into our bodies (that’s why nicotine patches work)! I thought I would start with the very common ingredient: Sodium Lauryl Sulphate / Sodium Laureth Sulphate.

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