Steadily growing awareness about the potential health risks
from the harsh chemicals used in beauty products, is leading more and more consumers to turn to natural formulations. This has created rising demand for herbs and
plant based ingredients for use in cosmetic industry. But many companies have
bought such raw material in bulk without understanding the nature of their
shelf life. Natural ingredients such as Essential Oils and other herbs are
plant based, and are, therefore, perishable. Herbally Radiant has been
particular in ensuring that it manufactures its herbal skin care products in small
fresh batches to ensure their safety. All its products are made with USDA
certified organic ingredients.
The normal shelf life for high oleic oils (sunflower and
safflower) is generally 2 years from the date of manufacture. Keeping them
longer will make them go rancid due to oxidation. Unrefined oils are not as
stable as refined ones. On the other hand saturated fats like coconut and palm
are very stable, and can occasionally last up to 3 years.
Essential Oils, especially citrus oils, are very sensitive
to light, heat and exposure to oxygen. However, all these can be stabilized with
a bit of tocopherol to increase their shelf life.
Because the
safety norms for cosmetic products are lax, it is important for the consumers
to make sure that they buy genuinely natural products that have not outlived
their shelf life. A careful reading of the labels should tell the consumers
about the ingredients, so it pays to hone a keen eye when it comes to examining
product labels. Unfortunately the words “natural” and “all-natural” are not
regulated labeling terms. One could go through the site of Environmental
Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic
Database which rates popular cosmetics and personal-care products with hazard
scores on a scale of 0 to 10, depending on their toxicity.
For further
reference one could go to the sites like Campaign for Safe Cosmetic, The Green
Beauty Guide and of course, Environmental Working Group.
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