While the Internet has provided consumers with a wealth of information on a number of important issues, it also has given way to misinformation and inaccuracies about cosmetics and personal care products and their ingredients. Preservatives, for example, have come under attack and led some consumers to seek “preservative-free” products. Yet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states, “Cosmetics need not be sterile, however, they must not be contaminated with microorganisms that may be pathogenic, and the density of non-pathogenic microorganisms should be low. In addition, cosmetics should remain in this condition when used by consumers.”1
