Every time you dip your finger into your face cream what do you think happens? A lot in the life of a microbe, a.k.a. bacteria—teeny, tiny organisms who might be described as the greatest lovers in the world, enter into your face cream.

Once introduced into your creams, cleansers and lotions via your fingertips and the air, they procreate all day long—in your product. Yuck! And that’s why companies must put preservatives in products, to assassinate these free loving microbes and protect you from bacteria-laden products.  Yes, preservatives in cosmetics are necessary, not just to keep the product from growing mold on the shelves, but to kill the bugs that we put into them!

Unlike foods, which we are accustomed to refrigerating and disposing of rather quickly; we use and store cosmetics including shampoos, conditioners and all sorts of creams and lotions for months, even years! (Just think about all of those half-used products in your bathroom cupboard!)

Even though the microbes on our fingertips will be killed by the product’s preservatives, the dead bacteria aren’t going anywhere.  Yes, they’re still in your cream.  So, keep your products as “clean” as you can, free from both living and dead microbes, by putting only clean fingers in the jar, keeping the lid on tight and never ever diluting or letting water get into your products.

Beauty Idea:  Place your night creams in the refrigerator for a cooling effect. I guarantee you that your tired, puffy eyes will love the refreshing feel of your refrigerated eye cream.