Do you know that our skin is the largest organ that we have? Yes it is and we often take this for granted as we continually slather on beauty products on our face and body without taking notice of what ingredients go into them, which gets absorbed into our bodies. Most of these products contain chemicals that are toxic for your body when used for prolonged periods. They are skin irritants, hormone disruptors and potentially carcinogenic.

The biggest culprit is the use of preservatives. Preservatives are required to ensure maximum efficiency in the quality of the product and to prolong its shelf life. The good news is that there are natural alternatives out there which are often more expensive, but we believe that it is definitely worth paying a little more for a better, safer product.

So avoid products with Parabens in the ingredient list. Research has shown that they are carcinogenic. Below is a list of ingredients you should avoid:

• Propylparaben, methyparaben, butylparaben, ethylparaben, isobutylparaben, isopropylparaben
• Bronopol (2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3-DIOL)
• DMDM Hydantoin
• BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole))
• Triclosan
• Methylisothiazolinone (MIT)
• Imidazolidinyl Urea
• Diazolidinyl Urea
• Quaternium-15

So what are the "good" Preservatives? Look out for these on the label:

• Benzoic acid and its salts
• Benzyl alcohol
• Dehydroacetic acid and its salts
• Salicylic acid and its salts
• Sorbic acid/potassium sorbate
• Sodium benzoate
• Potassium sorbate

What does Coast Sydney Botanicals Uses? For our Natural perfume oils which are 100% oil based, there is no need for any preservatives. Preservatives are only required when there is water in the product. For the other products with water in them, we use Leucidal ,a natural preservative.

Leucidal® Liquid is a natural preservative from Active Micro Technologies combining the current trends for alternative preservative systems and peptide technology. Derived from radishes fermented with Leuconostoc kimchii, a lactic acid bacteria that has traditionally been used to make kimchi, this product consists of an isolated peptide that is secreted from the bacteria during the fermentation process that has been shown to have antimicrobial benefits. Leucidal® Liquid is accepted by ECOcert as an ingredient in certified organic cosmetics.  It is also on Whole Foods Acceptable Premium Preservative List.

So, armed with this information, you are one step closer to #thenaturalMovement