THE BIGGEST SKINCARE MYTHS PART 1

MYTH ONE
All preservatives are dangerous.
Some preservatives are known to cause irritation for some people. For those who do this, most companies avoid using them. Some see this as a reason to avoid certain preservatives. The purpose of preservatives, whether in food or cosmetic skincare products, it is to protect your skin from microbes such as bacteria, fungus, and yeast that may start to grow in a product. Their function is to protect your cosmetic products from any such growth.

While some sites may claim an ingredient is dangerous, it most likely refers to it being used at 100% of a formula. There would be no cosmetic product, just a preservative. Preservatives have been studied, tested, and re-tested to ensure consumers’ safety and the companies that use them. 


There are reasons for rules in our everyday lives; for example, how would you feel driving without stop signs, stop lights, speed limits, barricades, and traffic laws? Wouldn’t it be complete chaos and dangerous? Of course, it would be, which is why there are usage rates for preservatives. “Rules” state how much of a product you can use to ensure the safety of everyone using and coming into contact with said product. We are fortunate to have safe and effective preservatives protecting us and our cosmetic products from bacteria and germs.

Myth two
If I avoid synthetics in my skincare, I will avoid them altogether.
Many people fear the word Parabens. Some do not even know what for. They just know that they should stay away from them because that is what they have been told by friends, estheticians, influencers, and consultants. However, there has not been any ingredient more extensively researched than Parabens. Paraben in cosmetics, paraben in skincare you name it.

Did you know that Parabens are naturally found in many different fruits and veggies and have been served in food for decades? In fact, a study was done in 2013 that found that 90% of food and drink served in New York contain parabens.

Myth three
The EU has banned over 1,000 cosmetic ingredients, whereas the USA (FDA) has banned only 9.
While this may not be an entire myth, we need to understand that the EU cosmetic regulations band contains more than just cosmetic ingredients within its long list of almost 1400 ingredients. Some of these include asbestos, radioactive substance, ingredients used in vaccines, etc.

However, it’s taking time for the FDA to approve or ban cosmetic ingredients. Remember that the number does not add up to the whole story.

Myth four
Most conventional skincare products only contain synthetic chemicals.
Most skincare products are made up of distilled water, and that’s a fact.
There is also a variety of synthetic ingredients in conventional skincare.
Products such as creams, lotions, toners, shampoos, conditioners, you name it. Just because an ingredient is synthetic does not make it wrong.

Quiz Answer
Everything is a chemical, air is a chemical, water is a chemical, and the food on your plate is made of chemicals. The dinnerware you’re eating from is made of chemicals. Of course, what people mean really when they say their skincare is chemical-free is that it doesn’t contain any synthetic ingredients. The same goes with skincare, which is marketed as ‘toxin-free.