Salon Business Management (Beauty Therapy) Examine and assess the Essay

Salon Business Management (Beauty Therapy) Examine and assess the properties, uses, benefits and potential results of using preservatives in the modern salon environment - Essay Example More importantly, the use of preservatives within the salon environment is meant to protect customers from potential negative reactions of cosmetic products on their skin or hair. Depending on the properties of cosmetic preservatives, they may irritate the skin, cause allergic reactions or carcinogenic effects. This means that effective salon business management practices should be focused at ensuring that the preservatives used in the salon are safe to the consumers (Draelos, 2005, p. 58). This paper presents an analytical discussion of various preservative products that are used within the salon environment with a view of illustrating their properties and uses in skin and hair care. The paper also describes the benefits of these preservatives in salon services and the implications of using them within the contemporary salon environment. Antioxidants are common preservatives for cosmetic products, which are commonly used in contemporary salon environments for their effective protective properties. Antioxidants act by inhibiting the oxidation of microorganisms and other molecules (Gray & Gummer, 2000, p. 124). The antioxidant properties of these preservatives make them suitable for protecting hair and skin care products from contamination with microbes. However, the level of protection that is achieved by antioxidants is relatively minimal, when compared to other preservatives. The antioxidant preservatives are commonly used within modern salons, with a goal of preventing rancidity in skin and hair care oils. The contamination of all oil based hair and skin care formulations is prevented when antioxidants are used as preservatives (Antczak & Antczak, 2001, p. 98). Pynogenol is an example of antioxidant that is used within salon environments. This antioxidant is used to strengthen collagen in hair and skin and blood v essels. This preservative is therefore used as an anti-aging agent (Michalun & Michalun, 1994). The use of antioxidants within modern