Are there preservatives in AH! YES products?
AH! YES OB plant-oil based contains no preservatives, only Vitamin E which acts as an antioxidant and extends the shelf-life.
AH! YES WB water based uses Phenoxyethanol.
AH!YES VM vaginal moisturiser contains the preservative Phenoxyethanol.
We have to buy the synthetically produced versions as we don’t use animal body parts and we cannot find commercially available plant extracted sources. They are approved by the FDA and UK/EU bodies for food and/or cosmetic applications, as well as by our Organic certifier: The Soil Association.
To date we have found no naturally occurring preservative package that is safe, non irritant and effective. Used correctly (not above 1%) both these preservatives do a brilliant job without being skin irritants or having any other concerns associated with them. In the absence of chemicals know to be penetration enhancers, like Propylene glycol, they are not pulled though the skin into the blood stream. AH! YES® products contain NO penetration enhancers.
We are often asked why we use preservatives in our natural products, when we have striven to make our products as natural as possible. Unfortunately preservatives of some kind will always be needed in water-based products. Water is the basis of all life, and that includes bacteria, fungi and moulds. Products without preservatives will have a very short shelf life, even if refrigerated (think of milk or orange juice). Products that are not properly preserved, even if made in a very clean environment, will become a health risk when exposed to the microbes present in life. So we preserve our products to give them shelf life and to ensure they are hygienic – to protect you. And as registered Medical Devices our products also have to meet strict preservation standards.
Please read out ingredient policy to find out more
Preservation and product cleanliness are critical. We tested all commercially available natural and “natural” preservation systems and found that none were secure, reliable and safe enough to meet our criteria. For instance Grapefruit seed extract is a known eye irritant at low concentrations. We finally chose a combination of natural and synthetic preservatives for AH! YES WB to deliver the performance required.
All AH! YES® products are certified organic by the Soil Association in the UK, this supports our ingredients policy, in that we can only use certain approved (gentle) preservatives (e.g. no parabens).
Are AH! YES products gluten free?
All AH! YES® products are gluten free.
Are AH! YES product estrogen free?
Yes products do not contain estrogen. The purity and distinctive formulations of AH! Yes products make them uniquely suitable for women recovering from cancer.
Many lubricant products are preserved with methyl paraben, which is an estrogen mimic, and contraindicated for anyone who has had an estrogen receptor positive cancer.
Vaginal dryness is experienced by many women who are recovering from cancer, Breast care nurses and oncologists are very happy to recommend AH! YES intimate moisturisers to their patients, confident that they will safely provide real relief from dryness without compromising their recovery or challenging their immune systems.
Yes is known to cherish and nurture precious and sometimes traumatised intimate tissue.
Can AH! YES products be used on sensitive skin?
All the AH! YES products are certified organic, which is the guarantee to the customer of product purity: assuring you there is nothing unknown, hidden, or damaging present in our organic product. This link will show you our ingredient policy on our website Ingredients policy
To summarise AH! YES products contain: no petrochemicals, no parabens, no known skin irritants, no grapefruit seed extract, no glycerin, no hormones, no silicone, no propylene glycol. As an example AH! YES WB contains 5 plant extracts – all used in food and three having healing pedigrees of over 4000 years, and food grade preservatives. As a result we believe that our products are the safest on the market anywhere and why it is so good for sensitive skin.
The preservatives we use in AH! YES WB and AH! YES VM are approved by the FDA and UK/EU bodies for food and cosmetic applications, as well as by our organic certifier: The Soil Association. The preservatives are used as sparingly as possible, in the lowest concentrations to be effective. To date we have found no naturally occurring approved preservative that works safely and effectively – so we chose the best solution, a combination of Sodium benzoate and Potassium sorbate.
Why does AH! YES use phenoxyethanol?
Perhaps you've heard some of the internet scientists suggesting that phenoxyethanol is a bad thing/not natural/not healthy? We don't agree, especially for where AH! YES is being applied to the body!
AH! YES products are packed with natural ingredients, that's why people love them! But natural ingredients spoil quickly. To stop your tube of lubricant going 'off' we have to include a preservative to give it a shelf life. And this is where lubricant brands differ and will select a different preservative. You can read our blog post on the subject if you want to know more.
We use phenoxyethanol as a preservative because it is not a mucous membrane irritant. Sodium benzoate, Benzoic acid, Benzyl alcohol, all approved by Organic certifiers, are deemed safe for skin products BUT they are all known mucous membrane irritants at higher concentrations. So for your vagina, this is a big deal!