Most products need a preservative and many have them. Everything has a shelf life. Not having a preservative makes the product go bad quickly which isn’t beneficial to the retailer or the customer.
The most common preservatives found in skin care lines are parabens. There are a lot of different kinds of parabens, but they are problematic. Research in 2015 links even small amounts of parabens to breast cancer.
Aspen bark extract offers a natural alternative to traditional preservative systems, and it also has some benefits for the skin.
Aspen bark— Populus tremuloides —comes from the North American Aspen. The bark is rich in salicylates, which, for the tree, may function as a defensive mechanism against invading parasites. These salicylates are isolated from aspen bark and used in some cosmetic and personal care products as a natural alternative to more traditional preservatives. It is added to emulsions during the cool-down phase to avoid any destabilization issues. As a secondary benefit, aspen bark extract, a water-soluble powder, can also impart a smooth feel to skin.
Some of its benefits are:
- It’s a naturally derived botanical extract
- It’s a water-soluble powder
- It possesses a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity
- It has a broad pH range: 3 to 9
- It’s compatible with a wide range of cosmetic ingredients.
