We use preservatives, such as Optiphen Plus paraben and formaldehyde-free preservative to maintain the performance, quality and freshness of our formulas. We refrain from using potentially harmful preservatives or chemical stabilizers, the color or scent of our products may change over time and this is completely normal due to the nature of essential oils and natural extracts we use in our formulas.Phenoxyethanol a preservative used for skincare products which has been deemed a safe ingredient. Planted uses Phenoxyethanol in some of our products, and the ones that do use it, contain less than a .05% concentration of it in our formulations. The main purposes of Phenoxyethanol is for the purposes of keeping bacteria out of our organic ingredients. Without a good preservative, the bacteria that can grow on your hair product is more harmful than the chemicals themselves. What makes Phenoxyethanol so valuable and healthy, is that only a small amount is required to fight bacteria - that way, there is are more potent ingredients in our products, as opposed to preservative. All repairs will be complete within 2 months of when we receive them.