Julie Cook has spent 10 years working in the skincare, aesthetic industry and will be providing information and some alternatives for you to then decide.
Parabens are simply preservatives used to stabilize ingredients and allow extended shelf life. They are becoming increasingly controversial, however, because they have been found in extremely low concentrations in breast cancer tumours (an average of 20 nanograms/g of tissue). Parabens have also displayed the ability to weakly mimic oestrogen (a hormone known to play a role in the development of breast cancer). No causal link between parabens and cancer has been established, however, it must be pointed out that the amount used in cosmetics is so small 1% that there has been no striking evidence to back this up.
So would it not be better to use an alternative?
But are there any alternatives that are EFFECTIVE? Julie has spoken to her clients and surveyed their concerns and concluded that yes, most people would swap their skincare to a paraben free range, but that they found no brand provided the aggressive results of current cosmeceutical ranges.
Julie decided to address this with leading marketers and brought on the Medik8 range the `Green Cosmeceutical`.
Medik8 is the British skin research company pioneering cosmeceutical technologies to make the most effective ingredients suitable for even the most sensitive skin, yet crucially without compromising efficacy. Medik8 cosmeceuticals may be used by everyone. Apart from being kinder to the skin, it turns out this new technology is kinder to the planet too. That's why Medik8 is known as the Green Cosmeceutical' brand.
Most skin is sensitive; it is just to what degree that distinguishes it from others. A simple change of washing powder can demonstrate this. People of all ages and skin types can periodically suffer from sensitive skin, making them particularly susceptible to certain irritating cosmeceutical ingredients. In fact, those suffering from acne, rosacea or psoriasis usually have greater skin sensitivity, which can be exacerbated by some aggressive treatment products that they use. The challenge for Medik8 is to make effective ingredients less aggressive without reducing potency. They do this in many ways for example using film-encapsulation, chirally correct actives, non-acid derivatives and patented anti-erythema technologies. Of course, using any effective strength actives, for example retinols and fruit acids, will cause some stinging to even the toughest skins, but Medik8 pharmacologists have minimised the degree of irritation and in some cases made it absent all together. No longer are the most powerful and effective ingredients beyond the reach of people who want the gain without the pain! And who doesn't want that?
