I was reading a thread in one of the groups I joined re skin care, and one of the comments posted something about petrolatum and other maligned cosmetic ingredients. I read the article, and one of the comments below rings so much truth: One has to realize that one man’s ( and woman’s) food is another’s allergy. If everything that is allergic to atleast one person is banned from the list of food products, we all would end up in trouble. Cosmetic products are also pretty much in the same situation.And everything that you can eat is not necessarily good for skin care applications- some could cause an allergic rash on the skin when applied, while perfectly safe to eat ( enzymes in the digestive track deal with those, but not on skin). I tested myself with paraben preservatives, and I definitely have allergic reaction to them. And I realized that the reason why my rashes would not resolve with the commercial products was that parabens seem to be the most commonly used preservative. That is the only reason I use the non-paraben preservative Optiphen Plus, since (1) I dont react to it, and (2) it is quite effective in preserving my lotions and creams, and is gentle enough even on my face. The bad rep of parabens having direct link to cancer causation is not at all an issue to me. I am allergic to it, so I will avoid it at all costs. In the same tone as the comment above, my lotions and creams might be an allergen to another person. What works for me might not necessarily work for you. And with every new skin care product you try, you are taking that risk of exposing yourself to a potential allergen/irritant. Do you blame the maker for making the product to which you react? Or would you rather go on with your search and pray that you would eventually find a product that does not cause a reaction and works for you? Or would you end up like me, learning how to make them so you can test every ingredient and you can control everything that goes into the formulation? I am onto trying to make a cream or salve full of healing oils and other nourishing ingredients since I am expecting lots of cuts from gardening activity soon. I will also try to formulate a cream that will help rid of sunspots on my face, to be applied only at night because of the potential for photosensitivity of the active ingredient (not supposed to be exposed to the sun when the product is on the skin). I have done the research and I have the ingredients. But these will be just for my use for now. There is no telling whether I would want to share them with others anymore, if I indeed find them effective. Too many products to make and sell is just too much for me to handle by myself. chemistscorner/the-12-most-maligned-cosmetic-ingredients/
Posted on: Thu, 24 Apr 2014 02:31:10 +0000