Harmful Phenoxyethanol in Clean Products>:(

[RAWRitsRED]

Why does America sell products using harmful chemical compound Phenoxyethanol? I get it’s a preservative used to make skincare products last longer and America allows it if a product only has 1% or less in it. It’s so harmful to your skin! European countries and Japan completely ban it and its illegal. I couldn’t believe it when I saw that companies who sell “clean” or luxury products such as Farmacy, Clinique, Dior and many others use Phenoxyethanol. But when buying the same exact product from for example Japan, it doesn’t have it! It’s completely disgusting! Another reason not to buy Made in USA products.

[nche]

Phenoxyethanol is not even banned in the EU. It is permitted at up 1% too...

It's actually worthwhile to note that the truly high-end products that cost hundreds of dollars for a tiny 50ml jar (not even airless pump!) all use a ton of 'chemicals'. From La Prairie to Valmont to La Mer to Cle de Peau...

Also, I would clarify that where something is manufactured has nothing to do with where it's sold or what is required in the formulation in the market it is sold in. For example, I buy sunscreen made in France but it's the brand's formulation for the Canadian market, not what you can buy in the EU. No doubt it is made in the same factory (its the exact same packaging). 

[RGbrown]

And on the flip side of the coin, perhaps you are demonizing something that doesn't deserve it. 🤷

"Rating: GOOD

Phenoxyethanol is a widely used synthetic preservative that has global approval for use in all cosmetic products in concentrations up to 1%. It’s often used in even lower amounts, such as when combined with other ingredients like ethylhexylglycerin. In this case, lower amounts of phenoxyethanol can be just as effective as the maximum approved amount.

Phenoxyethanol is incredibly versatile: It works in a large range of formulas and pH ranges, has broad spectrum activity against many pathogens you don’t want multiplying in your skincare products, is stable, and is compatible with many other preservatives used in cosmetics.

Phenoxyethanol has become the new skincare ingredient to be demonized by various retail/natural marketing cosmetic companies and websites. The controversy is similar to the absurdity over paraben preservatives. Parabens were made evil in skincare products because of studies showing they are endocrine disruptors, but parabens don’t have that property when they absorb into skin. Much like parabens, phenoxyethanol being a problem in cosmetics is based on research that has nothing to do with skincare. The negative research about phenoxyethanol is not about the cosmetics-grade version. That’s a big difference. Even plant extracts have to be purified when they are removed from the ground and put into skincare products. No one wants worms, fertilizer, heavy metals, and dirt in their products. Phenoxyethanol is the same situation, it is purified before it is used in cosmetic formulations.

As with many cosmetic ingredients, concentration matters. A 100% concentration of phenoxyethanol comes with some scary warnings. For example, the Safety Data Sheet on this preservative describes it as harmful if it contacts skin, is inhaled, or gets in to the eyes. Animal studies have shown it causes reproductive and developmental toxicity—no wonder some panic is occurring! As it turns out, the animal studies were about mice being fed large doses of this preservative, not about it being applied to skin, absorbing, and then causing reproductive or developmental harm. If you fed mice mass amounts of lavender or other essential oils, they would suffer terrible consequences.

The rest of the alarming studies are about using phenoxyethanol in full-strength or atypically high concentrations, not the amounts of 1% or less used in cosmetic products. Think of it as the difference between taking one sip of wine versus chugging several bottles at once!

Back to topical use, research has shown that compared to many other preservatives, the incidence of a sensitized or allergic reaction to phenoxyethanol applied as used in cosmetics is rare. But the truth is all preservatives, even the natural ones, carry some risk of sensitizing skin. That’s because preservatives of any kind are meant to kill fungus, bacteria, and mold and that can negatively impact skin. Ironically, in order for natural preservatives to be effective, they have to be used in much higher amounts than synthetic preservatives, typically up to 10%. This higher amount poses irritation and sensitizing problems for skin, so natural preservatives aren’t a slam-dunk replacement for synthetics, not even close.

An interesting factoid: although the phenoxyethanol used in skincare products is synthetic, this chemical occurs naturally in green tea, just like parabens occur naturally in berries and other natural foods."

Source: paulaschoice dot com/ingredient-dictionary/preservatives/phenoxyethanol.html

[WinglessOne]

@RGbrown  @RAWRitsRED  Heh, I was going to comment that phenoxyethanol occurs naturally in green tea, which has definitely not been outlawed in Japan. 😄 So I’m glad to see that point mentioned in the Paula’s Choice ingredient dictionary entry. 

Also, this bit is very important: 

“Animal studies have shown [phenoxyethanol] causes reproductive and developmental toxicity—no wonder some panic is occurring! As it turns out, the animal studies were about mice being fed large doses of this preservative, not about it being applied to skin, absorbing, and then causing reproductive or developmental harm. If you fed mice mass amounts of lavender or other essential oils, they would suffer terrible consequences.” 

Sugars are present in various skincare/bodycare products, including good ol’ lip scrubs. But we all know by now how bad sugar is for our health when consumed in large amounts, so... I’m just sayin’. 

If anyone’s interested in reading a recent medical journal article on phenoxyethanol, try this one: doi dot org/10.1111/jdv.15944

[RGbrown]

@WinglessOne 

Not sure I'd call it a "fun" read (I guess that all depends on how one gets their kicks lol), but it was certainly informative, so thank you for the link! 

I'm somewhat reminded of another article I read, about the unwarranted demonization of parabens. I wish I could remember all of it, but I remember the response of the author to folks lamenting the rise of some of the harsher preservatives, like the methyl-zolinones, something along the lines of "well, that's what happens when you allow false information to completely wipe out a better ingredient". Yes folks, let's kill off another one... 🙄🙄🙄

[WinglessOne]

@RGbrown  I think I remember the article you’re talking about. Poor parabens... sometimes “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is 100% good advice. And I keep having to tell people the FDA still hasn’t said parabens are dangerous to human health. I mean sure, the FDA is often slow as molasses (as are many other US government agencies), but they’ve been reviewing various studies on this topic and have yet to find a reason to ban parabens, or even to issue a mandate for a warning statement placed on all cosmetics products that contain parabens. 🤷‍♀️ 

My favorite needlessly demonized ingredient is still petrolatum. I cannot believe how many people—including some estheticians—have fallen for the “petrolatum is terrible” hype. Clean beauty has very dirty marketing.