As you may know or may have read in our harmful chemicals blog, cosmetics need preservatives to prevent the growth of bacteria. One of the preservatives we use in place of the toxic alternatives is sodium benzoate. There is mis-information about this benign ingredient posted around the web, claiming it is unsafe and toxic to humans. The bottom line is that preservatives are needed to keep personal care products safe, and not all preservatives are harmful to your health.
Sodium benzoate is the salt of benzoic acid. It is made by neutralizing benzoic acid, and ingredient that is present in numerous products ranging from food to cosmetics. It is also naturally occurring in teas and some fruits and vegetables, so try as you might, it’s in foods too – and “healthy ones” at that. In the EU, after numerous studies, the final opinion is that benzoic acid and sodium benzoate are safe for use for preservative and non-preservative purposes in cosmetic rinse-off products at a maximum concentration of 2.5 % and in cosmetic oral-care products at a maximum concentration of 1.7 %, and in leave-on products up to 0.5%. 2 The concentration of sodium benzoate used by Kavella never exceeds 0.25% in any product.
Some of the strictest certification organizations for natural products in the world accept sodium benzoate as a preservative because it is a safe and effective way to protect consumers from bacteria and mold developing in the bottle. The Natural Products Association, Cosmos and even ECOCERT all allow sodium benzoate in their certified natural products.
There is a misconception that oils can contain ascorbic and therefore something like sweet orange essential oil should not be combined with sodium benzoate. This is, in fact, not the case. Ascorbic acid is a water-soluble vitamin and would not be found in oils.
Don’t believe everything you read online, especially if it is unsourced.
For example, some blogs claim that sodium benzoate can cause disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. After researching this claim, we found that the actual quote from the study is quite the opposite. It states, “The clinical administration of sodium benzoate is of proven benefit for many patients with urea cycle disorders, while recent studies indicate it may also be advantageous in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, schizophrenia, early-stage Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.” If you are interested, see source 5 below on a study they did, using sodium benzoate as a treatment for schizophrenia. Spoiler alert, the results showed improvement in cognitive functioning of the patients.
We hope this information, as well as providing both cited studies and direct quotes, will help ease any concerns regarding this ingredient. Some of the strictest certification organizations for natural products in the world accept sodium benzoate as a preservative because it is a safe and effective way to protect consumers from bacteria and mold developing in the bottle. The Natural Products Association, Cosmos and even ECOCERT all allow sodium benzoate in their certified natural products.
When we research ingredients, we look only at facts that are well documented and cited. There is a lot of incorrect information on the internet, and we aim to cut right through the noise. We are highly dedicated to the safety of stylists and clients and to maintain transparency in an industry that often does not.