Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating Color and makeup Is Phenoxyethanol safe?

  • Is Phenoxyethanol safe?

    Posted by Mynkcosmo on August 28, 2018 at 10:20 pm

    Hello so I have been reading on phenoxyethanol. There is alot of different opinions about it and I want to be able to use a perservative in my pressed blushes but there’s so many mixed feelings if Phenoxyethanol is safe to use and that it causes cancer when using to mix. But then I see it used in alot of cosmetics. So what do u thing? 

    Mynkcosmo replied 5 years, 6 months ago 5 Members · 5 Replies
  • 5 Replies
  • belassi

    Member
    August 29, 2018 at 1:15 am

    It’s a chemical. I only use distilled daisy flower dew, myself. It’s so natural it’s unnatural. And quite safe when used as directed.

  • Chemistrygirl

    Member
    August 29, 2018 at 2:33 am

    @Belassi you sure you don’t use unicorn tears? I hear they preserve the best! Listen folks I use it and my vegan associates use it. I also use optiphen for possible water exposure in scrubs and salts preservatives are necessary to make safe quality products. The web is full of naysayers, if you want to formulate use criticsl thinking.

  • EVchem

    Member
    August 29, 2018 at 11:37 am

    On the internet you’ll find opinions on everything in every possible configuration. Part of the research process means evaluating your information sources. What’s your source in this case?

    Personally, I start with the Cosmetic Ingredient Review. Phenoxyethanol was first reviewed in 1990 and again briefly in 2011. You can also check out the European Scientific Commmittee’s opinion from 2016.

    I know these are long documents and if you’re not from a science background it seems a lot easier to read someone’s article about ingredient safety. I like these sources because they give the conditions of the studies and they help show the history of phenoxyethanol’s use in cosmetics (not to mention they are free to access).  You can also ask your supplier for safety data, they are biased of course but it’s in their best interest to demonstrate their material’s safety. I’m sure others on this forum have their own sources, and I’d recommend you make your own list of criteria for why you might accept/reject  a source, it’ll help you in the future when you have other ingredient concerns.

  • bill_toge

    Member
    August 29, 2018 at 7:23 pm
    further to @EVchem ‘s point, although SCCS opinions are hefty documents these days, they do have neat, concise summaries at the end that tell you what you need to know
  • Mynkcosmo

    Member
    September 2, 2018 at 7:29 pm

    @Belassi @Chemistrygirl @Bill_Toge @EVchem thank you all for ur honest opinions and ur advice! 

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