The New Packaging -- Again

So I hope it's clear in the pic. That lacy thing is yet another wrapping for my soap. I think I settled on a netting fabric instead of the tulle. I can get more of it for a cheaper price, so it's more economical. I don't know if you can see it but there are three layers of color. There's a rust color, ivory, and dark teal. I decided to layer the fabric since it's so thin, and I thought it might be interesting to look at.

Well, until next time.....!

Monthly Sale!!!

Just fyi, I run a sale on the last ten days of every month. The sale is as follows:

10% off of any purchases $15-$19 excluding shipping charges. 15% off of any purchase $20 and up excluding shipping. Cannot be applied to existing sales or discounts.

I will also be introducing gift certificates and/or coupons in my shop in the gift combo/deals section. So be on the lookout for those! I'm getting some fragrances in time for Father's Day, so I'm doing the best I can to make it a one-stop-gift-shop. Check back often because I make updates almost daily to my online store!

Preservatives in Your Cosmetics part II

Okay I promised to continue this today.


The other side of the hotly debated issue is the one that says you must have a preservative that kills the microorganisms no matter what. These people are likely to also say that there is no such thing as an all natural preservative system, which isn't true and I'll get to that later. The FDA backs this up (surprise surprise).

For large companies I can see the logic of using a complex chemical preservative system. It would be stupid of them not to. From the time of manufacture to the time someone buys and uses a product can be a very long time indeed. A company makes cosmetics in large quantity. Then they must store it in warehouses until such time as they can deliver these products to whatever stores carry them. This can even be worldwide. Then they can sit in the backrooms and shelves of these stores for a long time. So these large companies must be sure that by the time it reaches the consumer, the product is as fresh as the day it was made.

I can totally understand this. Even though I feel a product can last without any preservative, it can't last that long.

As for natural preservative systems, there is a very famous company that uses a simple system consisting of sugar. Glucose, glucose oxidase, and lacto-oxidase , is a sugar combined with sugar from honey and milk to create an oxidase system. Upon reading I found out that they work by consuming any oxygen that the lotion or other product may come into contact with. I was surprised to find it. It lent a small amount of credibility to my own conclusion that it was over-exposure to air that caused the main problems with the growth of yeasts, molds, and other nasties.


I must say before I end this that I have much respect for both lines of logic. For the home bath and body product maker, they only want to ensure that they are being safe and offering a good product. I can't argue with that. On the other hand, I believe that being very small manufacturers we don't need the extraordinarily long shelf life. When people buy cosmetics, they are usually purchased with the intent to use them right away. Things like soaps and other toiletries are bought on a need basis. People buy more soap when they need more soap, and rarely buy so much that it can't be used within a short period of time.

Preservatives in Your Cosmetics: Necessary or Not

Okay. Just a couple days ago I was approached (rather rudely I might add) by a couple sellers on Etsy that brought to my attention something about my lotions. They pointed out that I had no preservatives in my lotion. Lo and behold they were right there was not a single preservative in my lotion. I began to research as is my habit when some new light is shed on something I thought I had a handle on. Anywho, I stumbled upon many opinions. This is a hotly debated issue in the homecrafters world. On the one side you have those who feel that an alternative can be found to avoid those "parabens". Parabens is a generic name for a class of chemical preservatives that are found in just about any cosmetic formulation that has water in it. The whole said purpose for this addition of preservatives is that the water will eventually breed harmful bacteria, mold, and yeasts in a cosmetic product such as creams and lotions. I have a slight problem with that line of logic.

The first problem I have with that is that water on its own does not breed harmful microorganisms. Think about it. How long does that bottled water sit on the shelves and the warehouses across this nation undisturbed? Once you open it, is it spoiled? As a consumer are you worried that harmful microorganisms are lurking in that water? Probably not. This is untreated water, "purified" water, spring water, nursery water, distilled water, carbonated water, etc etc. Even your regular old tap water can sit in a bottle pretty much indefinitely without issue.

Furthermore, think of this aspect. You have a bottle of unopened water and a pool of stagnant water outside. Both waters are stagnant as opposed to free-flowing. Why is the stagnant pool of water unsafe to drink and the stagnant bottle water safe? The big difference between them is that the stagnant pool of water outside is OUTSIDE. It is in constant contact with the air. Many things including microorganisms are airborne. Any insect can come in contact with the water, or any microbe can thrive there. This is not so for bottled water. Bottled water, treated or not, is bottled in a facility and basically kept away as much as possible from exposure to air. So, my simple logical conclusion is that the air, not necessarily the water is the culprit for making water unsafe for human consumption and use.


Lotion for instance is created out of this bottled water that has a very long shelf life. It is also created out of various oils and butters each with substantial shelf lives of their own. Lastly, it is made of the emulsifiers, or the chemicals that allow the water to bond with the oils in order to create lotion in the first place. So since all of these things can stand alone without spoilage or becoming dangerous for a long time, why is it that when I put these things together they need all this extra chemical protection? To me it's not logical.........


It's late so I'll pick this up and finish my thoughts tomorrow...... Peace ya'll