Allergens
Allergens are substances of all kind that can cause an allergic reaction. We focus on allergens in cosmetic products and the topical use on the skin. An allergic reaction can be caused by the chemical composition of a product. In general there are two kinds of reaction, a skin irritation and an allergic reaction.
Irritation
Most complaints come from hypersensitivity. Irritation is expressed in irritation or burning of the skin that occurs almost immediately after the application of the product. An irritation can occur because the skin once or repeatedly comes into contact with certain stimuli (allergen) or one irritant. As a result, the skin is slightly damaged and is not given the opportunity to recover sufficiently. Characteristic of irritation is that after stopping use of the product, the reaction disappears rather quickly.
Our principle: no nanotechnology
Allergy
In principle, almost everyone can develop an allergy to any substance. In case of an allergy the body’s immune system reacts allergic to a substance that gives no problems for many people. An allergic reaction can start locally and then it (immediately or after some time) spread all over the body. The number of allergies caused by cosmetic ingredients is very small.
We can distinguish four types of allergies. Two of them are predominant, and these are described below. When it comes to reactions to cosmetics, the last one is the most common.
The first type occurs immediately after exposure to a substance, already within a few minutes. The reaction does not occur at the first contact with the allergy causing substance, but only after repeated exposure. This type of reaction is very rare in substances with which you come into contact, such as cosmetics. Hay fever and dust mite allergies are common examples of this type of allergy. In the worst case, the situation is life-threatening (anaphylactic allergic reaction). This is usually the case with substances that enter your body, for example, a food, or a wasp sting.
The last type of reaction appears somewhat later after exposure to the substance. It is possible this form of allergy appears 24-72 hours after contact. Usually the allergic reaction caused by substances with which you come into contact (contact allergy), and the reaction is not life threatening. The most common delayed hypersensitivity reaction is eczema, associated with red, irritated, itchy skin. Allergic reactions after the use of cosmetics fall mostly in this category. In addition, nickel allergy is a common example.
No allergens in the pump spray-on creams
All ingredients in our highly skin caring pump spray-on creams have the statement allergen free. All our products without perfume are allergen free. Some of our cosmetic body products are enriched with a gentle perfume. Within the composition of perfumes it is possible that some of the ingredients contain allergens. It is good to know that getting an allergic reaction from a perfume is very rare, but possible.
The perfumes we use in our cosmetic body care products are mainly so-called ‘coal free’. This means that they are free from derived synthetic chemical compounds. The result of that is that the risk to allergic reactions is almost less. An independent European Dermatological company tests all our products. The outcome of the allergy test, patch test after tape stripping, is always positive: “No hazards found. The products are harmless for the skin.”
Parabens
Let’s focus on cosmetic products in general; Everyday usage of cosmetic products requires preservative systems to prevent bacteria, funguses and/or mold to ‘infect’ the product. A well-known preservative system is preservation with parabens. The most common parabens you probably recognize from products you use yourself are ethylparaben, isobutylparaben, butylparaben, propylparaben or methylparaben.
Bacteria are coming from ‘dirty’ fingers, when you take your cream, lotion or foundation out of the jar or tube using your fingers, or simply by contacting the skin; think of mascara, blush etc. But also contact with air requires using a preservative in products that contain water.
On every cosmetic product you will find a so-called PAO symbol. After this PAO symbol, which stands for Period After Opening, you can see a number that indicates a number of months. The number indicates the period that a product can be used after opening. Meaning, when you open a product on January 1st with a PAO 6, the product can be safely used until June 30. The preservative that is used in the product is guaranteed to be active for 6 months.
Safe or not safe?
Preservatives such as parabens are used for the ‘safety’ of the products, but what is their influence on the skin? This discussion is already going on for years. From a regulatory point of view, cosmetics must meet the (safety) requirements of the Cosmetics Regulation. The safety requirements are mandatory for all cosmetic products with and without parabens, natural and synthetic ingredients, with and without perfume, etcetera. The safety for all products is the same, but for people who prefer to buy a product without parabens there are products available on the market.
Despite of all information available, the use and safety of parabens in cosmetic products is under discussion. Some producers are seeking for alternatives, but are these alternatives better/safer or more skin acceptable?
Do you find a clear answer on your questions? Probably not, because the subject is very difficult and not easy to understand. There are as much people positive as there are negative about the subject. In the end it is up to you as a consumer to decide if you want to use products containing parabens or not.
No parabens in the pump spray-on creams
The pump spray-on technology is developed to deliver a certain controlled amount of cream at the most hygienic way there is by using a spray-on pump. The content of the bottle, the cream itself, will not be touched by dirty fingers. That prevents the cream to get contaminated. Therefore it is not necessary to us a preservative system with parabens, to protect against bacteria and fungus.
All batches of the sprays are tested and released after proven protection against microbial contamination.
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is developing rapidly and is considered promising technology for various industries. With the development of this technology, however, is growing at some also care about the possible risks to health and the environment.
There is a lot of information about the use of Nanoparticles in cosmetics. You will find positive, negative and neutral information on Internet. There are many spray products on the market, especially Sun-protection sprays, that use nanotechnology.
Nanoparticals are so small that they can enter the human skin.
In cosmetics nanotechnology is purposefully used to create new or improved features in order to enhance the product and optimize. Products come on the market only after a scientifically based decision is made about the safety of the product.
All sprays mentioned on this website Sprayyourcream.com, based on the pump spray-on technology of ForTunique, do NOT contain nanotechnology. The long-term influence in/on the human body is not clear. Therefore it is our ethical principle not to work with nanotechnology.
What are nanoparticles?
A nanometer is a billionth of a meter, or 0,000.000.001 meters, a unit that you cannot see with the naked eye. This also applies to the nano-particle, which according to the most conventional definition has a size of 1 to 100 nanometers. Nanoparticles are common in nature: for example, contains salt sea air particles of nano size and also in combustion smoke coming nanoparticles. However, the discussion is focused mainly on nanoparticles that are produced artificially and to products, such as paints and cosmetics, may be added.
Nanocosmetics
There are in general two kinds of nanomaterials; nanomaterial created by nature or as a result of a natural process and nanomaterial made/influenced by humans. Nanotechnology is the science of manipulating atoms and molecules in the nanoscale – 80,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. The use of nanotechnology has stretched across various streams of science, from electronics to medicine and has now found applications in the field of cosmetics by taking the name of nanocosmetics. This widespread influence of nanotechnology in the cosmetic industries is due to the enhanced properties attained by the particles at the nano level including color, transparency, solubility etc. The different types of nanomaterials employed in cosmetics include nanosomes, liposomes, fullerenes, solid lipid nanoparticles etc. Recently concerns over the safety of such nanocosmetics are raised and have forced the cosmetic industries to limit the use of nanotechnology in cosmetics.
There is a lot more information available on internet about this subject, if you are interested.
No nanoparticles in the pump spray-on creams
All sprays mentioned on this website Sprayyourcream.com, based on the pump spray-on technology of ForTunique, do NOT contain nanoparticles. The effect and possible risk for human health after long-term use in/on the human body is not clear; therefore it is our ethical principle not to work with nanotechnology.
Creating the possibility to make a cream spray able without using nanoparticles is special. That makes our pump spray-on technology special.
