Comments by a Chemist

What is allowed in the Cosmetic Industry? Examples: Phenoxyethanol is in Schedule 6 and cannot be used at more than 1% in a cosmetic. Bitter orange oil is in Schedule 5 and is considered a cosmetic when used in soaps or bath or shower gels that are washed off the skin, when used at 1.4% or less, or in other preparations when labelled with “application to the skin may increase sensitivity to sunlight”.

It is hard as consumers, formulators and educators in this space to navigate through the confusions of terms that are continually thrown around such as “pro-biotic skincare” or “Pre-biotic Health” or “microbiome friendly” ingrediets, Coupled with the fact  that there is no official regulation or definitions around these terms, it’s easy to see the confusion throughout the skin-science community. How can this growing claim in our personal care industry, be validated?