At The Little Soap Shed we are always shouting from the rooftops that our products are 100% Paraben & SLS Free - Something we believe in and feel is so important that it is the foundation of our business ethics and values.
But the question I most get asked as a soap maker and seller of cosmetics is "What is a Paraben?"
Parabens are chemicals that are used as preservatives, and that’s why they are found in so many products. They are used to fight bacteria and fungus, are widely available, and cost very little to manufacture and use. Nearly all of the parabens used as preservatives are man-made and not naturally occurring.
WHY WE DONT USE PARABENS IN OUR PRODUCTS...
Parabens mimic the hormone 'estrogen' which is thought to play a role in the development of breast cancers. Researchers have found parabens in breast tumors and believe that there could be a relationship between the two.
WHAT IS SLS?
Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) and its close relative Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES) are foaming agents chemically known as surfactants. They are widely used in soaps, shampoos, detergents, toothpastes and other products we expect to foam or bubble up.
I'm pretty sure that if you check the ingredients label on your favourite shampoo, it will contain this chemical.
The SLS/SLES that you find in cosmetic products are the same as you will find in car wash soaps and soaps that are used to degrease engines. In the same way that they dissolve grease in an engine they dissolve the oils on your skin.
Would you rub a tin of degreasing engine oil into your skin? Would you expect it not to harm you in some way.. I certainly wouldn't!
Remember when you used to draw on your arms as a child? My mum used to say to me "STOP IT! You'll end with blood poisoning!"
Well I'm afraid mummy was right folks.. If you rub something into your skin, that product, chemical or oil no matter how innocent it may appear, sooner or later will make its way into your body.
But the question I most get asked as a soap maker and seller of cosmetics is "What is a Paraben?"
Parabens are chemicals that are used as preservatives, and that’s why they are found in so many products. They are used to fight bacteria and fungus, are widely available, and cost very little to manufacture and use. Nearly all of the parabens used as preservatives are man-made and not naturally occurring.
WHY WE DONT USE PARABENS IN OUR PRODUCTS...
Parabens mimic the hormone 'estrogen' which is thought to play a role in the development of breast cancers. Researchers have found parabens in breast tumors and believe that there could be a relationship between the two.
WHAT IS SLS?
Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) and its close relative Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES) are foaming agents chemically known as surfactants. They are widely used in soaps, shampoos, detergents, toothpastes and other products we expect to foam or bubble up.
I'm pretty sure that if you check the ingredients label on your favourite shampoo, it will contain this chemical.
The SLS/SLES that you find in cosmetic products are the same as you will find in car wash soaps and soaps that are used to degrease engines. In the same way that they dissolve grease in an engine they dissolve the oils on your skin.
Would you rub a tin of degreasing engine oil into your skin? Would you expect it not to harm you in some way.. I certainly wouldn't!
Remember when you used to draw on your arms as a child? My mum used to say to me "STOP IT! You'll end with blood poisoning!"
Well I'm afraid mummy was right folks.. If you rub something into your skin, that product, chemical or oil no matter how innocent it may appear, sooner or later will make its way into your body.
We are surrounded by healthy eating initiatives and warnings detailing what putting the wrong foods, in the wrong moderation, into our bodies can do to us as humans. However as a society we are completely uneducated as to what applying harmful parabens to our skin can do to our bodies.
Where are the supermarket warnings about that?
I understand that this will not be of importance to everyone.. however I hope that by reading this, it makes you think a little more carefully about whether to place that industrially packaged bar of soap into your supermarket trolley.
I'm getting off my soapbox now.. promise!
Lindsey x
Comment here for a chance to win your very own set of Biscuit Soaps.. Paraben free of course! xx
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