According to a Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients published in 2005, only water is used more frequently than paraben preservatives. This fact gives an idea as to the wide use and importance of parabens to the cosmetics industry, largely due to the twin properties of cost and efficacy, which paraben preservatives score very highly on. The statistic also indirectly reveals how trusted an ingredient it has been, widely used for such a long time, and included in cosmetic formulations primarily for one purpose: safety.
However, cosmetics is a consumer-led industry, and the producers of cosmetic products are, to a large extent, at the mercy of consumers’ whims, no matter the legitimacy of scare stories initiating the move away from certain ingredients. It remains to be seen just how comprehensive the move towards alternative forms of preservation will be, but as alternative products are introduced, the first concern should always be the safety of the end product, whether preserved with a synthetic or natural ingredient.
The fall-out from the consumer parabens scare has resulted in a range of products marketed as “Preservative free”, linking with the desire for natural products that are perceived to be more gentle to the skin. The objective is fine, and it is certainly what a sector of the buying public are after, but there is dispute regarding how accurate that label really is. My opinion is that perhaps it would benefit clarity by using the term “No added preservatives” in place of “Preservative free”, much in the same way as the food industry refers to sugar and salt content. There is no claim that the product does not contain any preserving agents, it simply makes clear that no additional preservatives have been included in the formulation.
Preservatives are vital for the majority of cosmetic products and their use is a balancing act, taking into account the need to eliminate microbial growth and the need to ensure the finished product does not cause adverse skin reactions. Now with paraben free/preservative free products there is an additional concern; to use preserving ingredients considered by consumers to be safe. This makes the task of keeping the balance more difficult, but necessary in order to achieve the complete sensorial experience, and ensure that consumers’ fears are entirely allayed.