Top 5 Ingredients to Avoid in Skin Care Products

We use skincare products to make us look and feel our best, but unfortunately, many lotions and potions include ingredients that are anything but good for us. Companies simply use them because they are affordable, give their product a longer shelf life, help their product look or feel a certain way, or all three. However, putting these products on your skin can lead to mild to serious issues, both inside and out.

What products are we talking about? There are dozens, but five are worse than the rest. Read on to learn which ingredients you should avoid at all costs. 

1. Parabens

Parabens are preservatives used to inhibit the growth of yeast, mold and bacteria in beauty products. It’s easy to understand why companies would use them: after all, it increases the amount of time a product can sit on a shelf. Sadly, that’s where the benefits of parabens end. Parabens mimic estrogen in our bodies, and a result, our bodies produce too much. This overproduction of estrogen has been linked to breast cancer. In fact, traces of parabens have been found in samples of breast tumours.

2. Artificial Colour

If a colour is artificial, you need to give the beauty product a hard pass. Artificial colour in your beauty products will be represented as D&C, followed by a colour and number. (e.g. D&C blue 4.) Synthetic colours are sourced from coal tar or petroleum and in addition to being skin irritants, may be cancer causing agents.

3. Artificial Fragrance

Artificial fragrances are made from dangerous chemicals which have been linked to skin irritation, breathing troubles, allergies as well as possibly inhibiting the reproductive system. Artificial fragrance will simply be listed as ‘fragrance’, so it’s easy to avoid.

4. Propylene Glycol

This hazardous organic alcohol is may be used to condition skin, but more often than not, it irritates our epidermis, causing dermatitis and hives.

5. Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)

These two hazardous beauty products run rampant, appearing in the majority of cleansing skincare. SLES’s and SLS’s can irritate eyes, lungs and skin and, when they interact with other chemicals found in other skincare products, they can form carcinogens.

These five ingredients are the big ones you should aim to avoid. If you buy natural, high quality products, like ones containing powerful ingredients like AHA BHA from Active Skin, you’re more likely to be able to put your trust in the product, and the product on your body with confidence.