Mellow Skincare

The Preservative Issue

The use of chemical preservatives such as parabens has never sat comfortably with those involved in making and using natural skincare products.

Unfortunately clean water and good hygiene are not enough if a product is to keep for more than a few weeks and so it is common sense to assume that all products containing water will have a preservative added.

Such preservatives must have the qualities to prevent entry of bacteria, fungi and mould. We wouldn’t eat contaminated food so the same applies to products we put on our skin.

On-going research into the use of preservatives has resulted in much debate about the rights and wrongs of chemical preservatives and the resulting stories in the media often give conflicting views and advice.

So it is no wonder we are sometimes confused and nervous when buying skincare products as we have no wish to harm our bodies.

Here at Mellow Skincare we take as much care about what goes into our products as our customers’ concern about what they put onto their skin. No preservative is ideal but Mellow strives to be as ethical as possible when it comes to our products.

I still use preservatives in my water-based products but I can finally assure my customers that no Mellow products contain parabens. I have found a preservative (Preservative Eco) which can be used in all my formulations and is described as safe and approved.

I am sure research will continue to develop further alternatives to those ingredients that are challenged by those seeking a totally natural approach to skincare.

But in the meantime I am pleased to have found an alternative suitable for natural products to address an issue that I know has raised concerns within the health and beauty industry.