Touché, Gio! Years ago, when I wanted to make my own bath and body products and started researching ingredients, at first, all I could find was DON’T USE, IT’LL KILL YA….basically that was the gist. I persisted in finding info from both sides to assist me in making educated decisions; I’m tenacious.

There is so much fear-mongering going around and then, with good intentions, others spread it without understanding due to lack of comprehension. Research, RESEARCH, R-E-S-E-A-R-C-H ! Use some common sense too. I’m glad I happened upon your site; you use common sense reasoning and EDUCATE yourself rather than becoming a follower of falsehoods. There are generally 2 sides to everything and one must not only read but also discern if the person or entity has something to gain from the position they hold and are promoting. Often, maybe not always, those who follow falsehoods ‘attack’ rather than present out information for the betterment of the one in which they are (in their mind) educating.

LOL, citric is a prime example of fear-mongering and I laughed when I came across all the negatively surrounding it. In fact, I’ve shared the info with others, not to spread the falsehood but as an excellent example of how things can be blown way out of proportion. Yes, due to huge demand, and deriving it from fruit cannot keep up with production needs, demands it’s produced from–I’m sure you know–black mold. Oh my goodness, I’m gunna die 😊. “A variety of yeasts and molds make citric acid, but Aspergillus niger, a mold that belongs in the same family as penicillin, is used for large-scale production.” (https://www.livestrong.com/article/477815-how-is-citric-acid-made-where-does-it-come-from/)

We all know that penicillin was accidentally discovered; this first antibiotic was originally named “mould juice.” 😊. While we don’t want to EAT mold, some molds do serve us well. In the time of penicillin’s discovery people were dying due to scratches if it became infected. Can you imagine dying from an infection due to a dental procedure or a cut?

One isn’t consuming the black mold, Aspergillus niger, if they eat foods or drink beverages with citric acid derived from black mold. No more than if we were to eating a human being if citric acid were derived from people. Yes, that’s right; our body actually produces all the citric acid we need. We don’t need to ‘specifically’ consume things that contain ‘citric acid,’ which is in almost everything. Our body synthesizes citric acid from sugars that converted from carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are broken down into sugars [that’s why they’re not good for diabetics, complex charbs aren’t as bad due to slow and steady charb to sugar conversion]. Then these sugars are converted by the body to acetyl
coenzyme-A. CoA is then turned into citric acid and the energy cycle begins. The process is a bit more involved (https://www.chemistry.elmhurst.edu/vchemook/600glycolysis.html) but that’s the gist. So, when man finds a way of deriving citric acid from humans (many humans out there so, WOW, that’d be a boat load of citric acid) we’re not eating humans no more than we’re consuming the black mold (Aspergillus niger) by ingesting products containing man-made citric acid vs the real deal from citric fruits.

The products I make for our family’s personal use and to gift to others are far more beneficial to my skin than commercial junk; called junk only because they contain multiple constituents I prefer not to use on skin or in my hair. Because I use them and share them (eventually will market them ‘small-scale to offset my crafting costs) I want to be certain they don’t aggravate my and my children’s severely sensitive skin and allergies. I’m 58 years young and I had to quit using commercial soap at age 15 because my skin hated those detergent bars. I love using soap (lye soap) and my husband couldn’t quit commenting on “there’s no comparison between store soap and your (my) soap” and “commercial soap has nothing on your (my) soap.” Lye soap is another thing that is gonna rot your skin off…….don’t even get me started 😊

THANK YOU FOR YOU SITE and USEFUL info. Once again, Touché.

Madame Toure, glad the post helped. 🙂

Audrey, .the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) categorised silica as to be Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS). So, it’s safe to use it.