 The recent European Cosmetics Directive has finally outlawed Diethylene Glycol (DEG) and Phytonadion (Vitamin K1). About time too!
Few cosmetic companies now use these ingredients... but some still do - even the odd organic one.
Diethylene Glycol is a type of Glycerine or Glycerol that is poisonous to humans. It is often used in anti-freeze. However, in recent years DEG has been found in toothpaste originating from China.
Glaxo Smithkline has said that the ingredient was found in counterfeit versions of its Sensodyne toothpaste. In Panama, contaminated products are estimated to have killed 70 people.
DEG isn't completely banned, as the directive allows for cosmetics to contain traces of the chemical found in Glycerol.
At Pai we use vegetable derived Glycerine (as opposed to Animal Fat derived). Because we are Soil Association certified, we can only use their approved suppliers of vegetable Glycerine in our products.
This ensures that not even trace amounts of DEG find themselves into Pai products.
Pai manufactures all products in-house, rather than outsourcing production to a factory.
This means we can guarantee that our ingredients are not contaminated or replaced with non-human grade glycerine (this has happened to other companies in the past).
Phytonadion is best know as Vitamin K1. In 2006 it was banned in France by the health regulator Afssaps (Agence Francaise de Securite des Produits Sante).
Afssaps reported twelve extreme allergic reactions, all eczema-related conditions of the face and body. Six of the sufferers had to be hospitalised.
"Cosmetics products that include K1 can represent a serious threat to human health," an official statement from Afssaps said at the time.
Vitamin K2 is thought to be generally safe - but if a product does not specify K1 or K2, then we would suggest you stop using it.
Many consumers are becoming aware that just because a product says it is organic on the front, the ingredients on the back often tell a different story.
If you want to be absolutely sure a cosmetics product is as natural as it claims, then look for the Soil Assocation logo on the box.Labels: chemicals, eczema, organic skin care, skin allergy
It is a little ironic that Parabens, which are widely used in anti-ageing creams, have been linked to premature ageing.
A new Japanese study has demonstrated that when products containing Methyl Paraben are combined with ultra violet light, there is damage to your DNA and skin.
So avoid sun creams with Methyl Paraben or using a moisturiser containing it on a sunny day!
There are lots of manufacturers still backing Parabens (while no doubt frantically reformulating their products!), and where possible citing research showing it is safe.
It is worth pointing out that much current testing (including this study) on the safety of Parabens involve testing on animals.
At Pai, we take the precautionary approach - if there is a doubt about an ingredient's safety, we don't use it.
And we certainly don't condone animal testing of ingredients - all our products contain only natural ingredients and are tested on willing humans!
Labels: chemicals, parabens, preservatives
Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate - it doesn't exactly trip off the tongue!
It is a chemical preservative commonly used in "natural" beauty products to help preserve them from bacterial or fungal growth.
We are meeting more and more people who have extremely strong reactions to products containing this chemical.
One customer used an organic facial moisturiser from a well know 'natural' skincare brand and immediately had an intense burning sensation followed by extreme irritation lasting for several days.
Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate is a skin irritant in high concentrations, and should only used in low levels in products - 0.1%. Although there are products out there using higher concentrations.
It is far more of an irritant than Parabens and it affects more people. Parabens have been used for years and there are few reported cases of Paraben allergies.
But many manufacturers are shifting away from Parabens because of the bad press and instead including less well known chemicals to preserve their products.
Sodium Hydroxmethylglycinate is often described as "organic" or naturally derived from the glycine, an amino acid.
However, there is little that is organic about it - it goes through a rigorous manufacturing process using lots of chemicals. Indeed, one of the particular problems highlighted is that Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate is sometimes contaminated with Formaldehyde, which is used during manufacture.
It is also thought to break down into Formaldehyde in the body - which is a problem if the product you are using is a moisturiser, designed to permeate the skin. It is less of a concern if it is present in a shampoo or cleanser, which is washed off.
Many people come to organic skin care after developing reactions to chemicals in their usual products. Unfortunately, if you purchase a product containing Sodium Hydroxmethylglycinate, there is a chance it will irritate your skin or that you will have an allergy to it.
At Pai Skincare, we only use natural preservatives - no Parabens and certainly no Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate.
Sodium Hydroxymethlyglycinate is also listed as:
GLYCINE, N- (HYDROXYMETHYL) -. MONOSODIUM SALT;
GLYCINE, N- (HYDROXYMETHYL) -, SODIUM SALT;
N- (HYDROXYMETHYL) GLYCINE, SODIUM SALT;
N- (HYDROXYMETHYL) -. MONOSODIUM SALT GLYCINE;
SODIUM SALT GLYCINE, N- (HYDROXYMETHYL) -;
SODIUM SALT N- (HYDROXYMETHYL) GLYCINE;
N- (HYDROXYMETHYL) - SODIUM SALT GLYCINE;
SODIUM HYDROXYMETHYLGLYCINATE;
GLYCINE, N- (HYDROXYMETHYL) -, MONOSODIUM SALT;
HYDROXYMETHYLAMINOACETIC ACID,
SODIUM SALT;
SODIUM N- (HYDROXYMETHYL) GLYCINATE
Labels: chemicals, preservatives, skin allergy, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate
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