Are You Buying Products That Are Exposed To Sun Damage?!
From bulk purchase to small travel size, plastic bottles and other forms of packaging are an important commodity.
Some may also be used for decorations and aesthetic purposes but that said, these items when placed under direct sunlight can actually be very harmful.
“Packaging material may catalyze oxidation reactions in photosensitive products and reduce their shelf life”. Leda Coltro; Joyce Borghetti SciLo Brazil
In some cases, it can cause severe health issues, especially when exposed to high temperatures and/or UV rays making them ineffective or toxic.
Here’s why.
Location location location
Potentially exposing them to extreme temperatures – no matter how brief – can affect the formulation and ingredients of the product.
Many of us place personal care, beauty products and edible items by the window under direct sunlight and the excessive heat is actually damaging.
Tip: Look by the pool for your sunblock lotion and bring them indoors.
What’s even more concerning is seeing businesses display products in direct sun!
The labels are usually written in tiny fonts at the back of the packaging- “Keep away from direct sunlight”.
And this is why storage is as important as the ingredients and formulations of the product itself.
“Also, always store your hydrogen peroxide mixtures in dark containers or dark spray bottles in a cool location.
The reason why hydrogen peroxide always comes in those dark brown containers is that if it gets heated by the sun (or anything else) it’ll turn into oxygen or water (its chemical formula is just H2O2, so this happens very easily)” acultivatednest.com
Sunlight – fueled by UV Rays
This can feed the bacteria (on our skin) and microorganisms in the products and affect the ingredients (such as bad odor and turning rancid), reducing the efficacy.
For example, skincare ingredients such as vitamin C and Retinol should never be exposed to sunlight as they easily oxidize.
The very reason why most products with either one of these ingredients are best applied at night.
What You Can Do
1.As a preventative measure, buy packaging stored in a cool, dry place and avoid anything laid out under burning sunlight.
Drinking water, skincare products and certain household items to name a few.
2.If a business has items displayed out in the sun, ask for the product that’s in the storage instead.
Most businesses will be happy to hand you items from the storage, cold fridge or fresh stock.
It will become a good habit when you regularly make an effort to purchase well stored products.
This also goes with bringing them home and storing them correctly.
3.Place them inside cabinets or cover the windows with blinds when products are in use.
4.Replace plastic bottles from inside your car with glass bottles and same goes with bicycle drink holders; replace them with glass bottles and you will have less chances of the plastic melting under extreme heat.
As an alternative choose products that have sun-sensitive ingredients packaged in opaque packaging.
Tip: Transfer mouthwash from its plastic bottle onto a dark glass bottle and label it. You can recycle glass juice bottles for this.
Ethical Purchase
And recently, thanks to the growing number of eco-conscious buying,
companies have stepped up in the packaging by choosing plastic-based packaging that comes with UV protection.
These UV protection come in two variation – on the surface (known as UV protective coating) and within the packaging itself (known as UV absorbers).
These ensures that no sunlight and UV rays can interfere with the efficacy of the products.
However, when in doubt the best thing to do is avoid the use of any sun sensitivity items that are heat and/or UV Ray exposed.
Purchase well packaged and stored items and keep your products correctly. Remember that prevention is far better than cure.
photo courtesy of skincancer.org
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