At the core of Skinny & Co.’s business is the belief that our pure coconut oil products should not use any manufacturing chemicals. To explain this belief further, we’ve been sharing a series of blog posts about the different types of chemicals commonly found in beauty products that we will never include in any of our products. So far, we’ve addressed why we don’t use phthalates or sulfates in our products.
This week, we tackle preservatives.
What are preservatives?
Preservatives are a wide variety of compounds that help prevent or slow the growth of bacteria in products ranging from food to medicine to personal care products. Sometimes these compounds are natural, and other times, they’re synthetic.
Are preservatives harmful to humans?
A wide variety of health effects on humans have been acknowledged in regards to exposure to or consumption of preservatives. For example, according to MayoClinic.com, eliminating foods with preservatives from your diet can help reduce the symptoms and severity of asthma.
Other potential health effects related to preservatives include behavior changes, heart damage, and cancer risk. In fact, according to the Archives of Disease in Children, a 2003 double-blind study of 1,873 children revealed that the consumption of preservatives and food additives led to a significant increase in hyperactive behavior. Studies reviewed by InChem showed that preservatives in food can weaken heart tissues. And, to top it off, InChem found that preservatives (namely nitrosamines including nitrites and nitrates) in food can transform into carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) when digested.
Preservatives in cosmetics
As we’ve already mentioned, preservatives are commonly put into food products (and are perhaps best known to be in food products) to prevent bacteria growth and spoilage. But perhaps you weren’t aware that preservatives can also be found in many cosmetics and personal care products. The reasoning is the same as to why they are added to food products: preservatives help prevent the spread of bacteria and microorganisms that can later transfer to your body. Other times, preservatives are used as antioxidants, meaning that they help prevent the degradation of your products caused by exposure to oxygen.
No preservatives in Skinny & Co. products
The pure coconut oil produced by Skinny & Co. is completely natural and does not experience any deterioration or negative effects associated with exposure to oxygen. As a result, no antioxidants or preservatives are needed for this benefit. Additionally, there have actually been multiple studies done that show that coconut oil itself is antimicrobial, also making preservatives unnecessary. (Note, however, that it is still best practice not to share personal products with anyone else, ever.)
Final thoughts
It’s our primary goal at Skinny & Co. to make sure that our customers always feel safe putting our pure coconut oil products in and on their bodies. To learn more about this, make sure you check back in with our blogs to learn about the other chemicals we refuse to put in our products.