We all use various hair care products, including shampoos, hair conditioners, hair sprays, and many many others. Most of us try to choose only those hair care products which are based on natural ingredients and have a less chemical components as possible. That’s because we are aware about the fact that the greater number of artificially synthesized components a product has, the more harmful to our health it can be. That is very true, and according to the most recent findings, there is one chemical which can be found in a great number of cosmetic and hair care products, and it can cause very serious skin allergies and possibly even more serious skin disorders in many people who choose to use these kind of products. This chemical ingredient has got a name of MI; it is a preservative and it can be found in plenty of modern shampoos, hair moisturizers, as well as shower gels and baby wipes.

A group of dermatologists at St John’s Institute of Dermatology in London carried out an analysis and issued a warning for those people who are prone to allergies and various skin problems. The scientists are convinced that being exposed to this dangerous preservative on a regular basis or in high doses can easily turn into something similar to skin allergy epidemics. The symptoms of being overexposed are totally similar to the ones of dermatitis: skin gets red and itchy, it can be covered up with various kinds of blisters and start stinging. As the analysis has shown, negative effects of contacting this kind of preservative can be compared with the ones of coming in contact with nickel, a chemical element which is considered to be one of the more harmful element of hair care and cosmetic products. It causes allergies and skin conditions in many modern people: it is reported that about 8 per cent of adults and up to 20 per cent of children in today’s UK suffer from eczema, contact dermatitis, and other similar types of skin conditions.

MI preservative, or methylisothiazolinone, is a type of chemical which can be also found in many other products, like paint, some products for house cleaning, etc. It is not a bad chemical and the main function of it to ward off various dangerous yeast and bacteria that live around us and impose our health to danger.  However, a direct contact of human skin with this chemical can result in not less serious skin problems. In particular, as it is stated in the report about the study by British dermatologists, this chemical was found in some body lotions produced by Nivea, and some body care products for men produced by Wet Ones and Boots. In modern Europe, MI is not in the list of dangerous and toxic elements to be excluded from skin and hair care products, that is why it is quite legal to have it even in the highest in cosmetic and hair care products. Moreover, the scientists found out that before, MI has been usually mixed with MCI, another preservative, but nowadays, concentrations of these chemicals has grown in almost 25 times!

Maybe, increasing number of people with allergies is a response for such kind of increase, the researchers suggested. “Many of our patients have suffered acute dermatitis with redness and swelling of the face. I would ask the cosmetics industry not to wait for legislation but to get on and address the problem before the situation gets worse,” Dr John McFadden, a study leader and one of the experts at St John’s Institute of Dermatology, commented. The scientists underlined that they plan to continues their researchers and try to find more links between increasing amounts of dangerous chemicals in beauty care products and increasing number of people who suffer from various allergies. For the moment, the findings of the reported study are to be presented in this year’s British Association of Dermatologists conference in Liverpool, which is going to take place this summer.