A very common topic of debate in the beauty community is the subject of preservatives. And parabens are undoubtedly at the forefront of every discussion. However, the continuous decline in the use of parabens as preservatives clearly implies that the substance has some properties that can have ill effects on your skin.
Exploring the alternatives
In the wake of such revelations, you may wonder about the safety of other alternative preservatives that the manufacturers are using in beauty products. One such substance is benzyl alcohol, which is present in many skin care products and cosmetics for the improvement of texture, scent, and enhancement of longevity of the product.
Features of the preservative
The new alternative is a colorless liquid with a very pleasant but mild scent. Many plants produce the substance, and you can even find the trace amount of the substance in the foods like raspberries, apples, peaches, grapes, and tea. The benzyl alcohol manufacturers alsouse natural resources to produce the commercial form as the extract is also available from essential oils like neroli, rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, and hyacinth.
Some benefits
The extensive use of the substance as a preservative shows that the compound has some definite benefits when present in skincare products.
If the manufacturers use benzyl alcohol in high concentrations, it will serve as a fragrance ingredient. So it is now an active ingredient of fragrance makeup items that use essential oils like neroli, rose jasmine, and hyacinth. The pure form of the compound will impart a floral fragrance to the products.
- However, the scent changes gradually to a fruity smell and then to a typical almond smell.
- The scent of the compound is one of the chief reasons why skincare product manufacturers love to use it as a preservative.
The dual role of the preservative is indeed beneficial for the bulk product manufacturers.
The skincare product developers always tie-up with the reputed benzyl alcohol manufacturers because it is essential to use the best quality compound. In addition, the substance will serve as a solvent in skin care products and cosmetics.
- The solvent helps to dissolve all the components.
- As the solvents are responsible for thinning out the formulation, it is easier for you to spread the product on your skin.
- The preservative is a viscosity-decreasing agent.
- Being a solvent, the substance plays a major role in enhancing the effectiveness of the product by triggering faster absorption by the skin.
Modern-day manufacturers are incorporating benzyl alcohol as an ingredient of skincare products and cosmetics to serve the purpose of preservatives.
- It will prevent bacterial growth when you will open and reopen the bottle many times for regular use.
- Some cosmetics are prone to contamination. It is essential to protect the most sensitive items like lotions and creams that the manufacturer will pack in jars, and you will open them frequently for application.
The substance is different from the bactericides that kill the bacteria. But this substance will only inhibit bacterial reproduction. So there is no scope of contaminating the formulation of the product with the residues of killed bacteria.
The high demand for benzyl alcohol suppliersis already an indication of the fact that the substance is not messing with the formulation of the products. If the preservative reacted with any ingredient of the products, the formulation would change into something that will either harm your skin or be as effective as expected.
The compound plays a significant role in increasing the product's longevity and adding to the shelf life. If you want the best impact of the product, you need to use the ones that last longer in a good state.