Secret behind the beauty industry you should know about

Sheet mask or sheet of preservatives?

For a busy woman who has little time to take care of her skin, sheet masks can be a blessing. But are they a blessing or a curse?

Long-lasting cosmetics: The dangers of chemical preservatives

Cosmetics are essentially made up of water and oil. Since stagnant water is bound to spoil, cosmetic products must have preservatives in them. The cheapest and most convenient way to extend a product’s shelf life is to add chemical preservatives like parabens and phenoxyethanol, but they pose serious health risks.

Parabens enter the bloodstream through the skin and build up in your organs, fatty tissues, and muscles. Even small amounts of buildup can increase the risk of breast cancer. Phenoxyethanol can irritate the skin and mucous membrane, penetrate into your body, and cause allergic reactions or numbness.

The FDA also warns against its potential harmfulness. You should be extra careful with sheet masks because they create a sealed environment in which parabens and other petroleum-derived chemicals soak your skin for a good twenty minutes.

Can't sheet masks use natural preservatives?

Just as vinegar is used to make pickles, there are many preservatives found in nature. Natural preservatives like extracts of Baikal skullcap (scutellaria baicalensis) root and moutan (paeonia suffruticosa) root are harmless to the human body and enable a product to last up to three years before opening and six months once opened. Unless you want to keep using sheet masks with chemical preservatives, do check what ingredients you’re putting on your face for at least ten minutes every night.