If you love and care for our skin, then you have to ensure its long-term health and radiance. The natural skincare brands are committed to redefining beauty industry standards for products that are good for both, us and our planet.
Natural Skin Care products include essential vitamins, botanicals, and minerals which not only heal and restore our skin; they also prevent our earth from getting harmed. These goods stand out and emphasis on absolute potency, full freshness, and utter purity!
The word "natural" is not an official term, and the issue is that there is no formal method that governs what this term means by "natural" or legal meaning. This is confusing for customers, as firms can say that a product is natural while still containing ingredients that are not natural.
If you believe in the natural-beauty movement, it’s also your duty to research from your side. The trick is to read your products' labels and understand what it means exactly between the lines and know what you're using on the skin.
Following 19 ingredients I found from the study which you should avoid putting on your face and body.
Formaldehyde – Formaldehyde is a commonly used preservative in beauty products. It is a recognized carcinogen that is often correlated with asthma, skin irritants, and having neurotoxic effects and containing environmental toxins. This toxin is found in a product label where you see the following: DMDM hydantoin, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Diazolidinyl Urea, Quaternium-15, 2-Bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3 diol (Bronopol), Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, and several other preservatives are listed.
1,4 Dioxane – An ingredient found in most personal care products. Since it is extracted from coconut, some think it's good for the skin. However, this is a toxic chemical that can adversely impact the kidney, brain, and liver function.
Butylated Hydroxy Anisole and Butylated Hydroxytoluene – These are synthetic antioxidants used to extend the shelf life of a product. They are likely to be carcinogens, hormone disruptors and may even cause liver damage.
Phthalates – Phthalates are a class of chemicals used to improve plastics' resilience and smoothness in hundreds of products. They are considered endocrine disruptors and can increase breast cancer risk in females, early breast growth in girls, and reproductive congenital disabilities in males. It is present in products like shampoo, perfume, nail polish, hairspray, sanitary pads, and more as Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) and Diethyl Phthalate (DEP)
Polyethylene Glycol (PEG compounds) – PEGs are commonly used as thickeners, softeners, moisture-carriers and solvents in cosmetics and are usually considered healthy if used at the suggested rate of use. Depending on the processing method, PEGs can be contaminated with quantifiable ethylene oxide levels and 1,4-dioxane, which are both carcinogens. The products where PEGs are most commonly found are cosmetic cream bases, sunscreens, and baby care items.
Sunscreen Chemicals – Like Benzophenone-3, also know as Oxybenzone, Avobenzone, Homosalate, Nanoparticles, Microbeads, Octocrylene, Octinoxate / Octyl methoxycinnamate.
DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (Monoethanolamine), and TEA (triethanolamine) – These are foam boosters and are found in hair styling products, soaps, facial cleansers, shower gels and shampoos. They are easily absorbed through the skin to accumulate in body organs, even the brain, and cause contact dermatitis. DEA and MEA are listed on the ingredient label simultaneously with the neutralizing compound. Look for names like Lauramide DEA, Cocamide DEA or MEA, etc. and Triethanolamine in blushers, mascara, foundation, hair care products, hair dyes, and eye shadows, eyeliners, sunscreens, and shaving products. It can become harmful and can significantly increase liver and kidney cancer when accumulated into the body over a long time. Allergic reactions, including eye problems, dry hair, and skin, can be caused even by exposure for a short period of time.
Petrolatum – Petrolatum is a gel derived from mineral oil and often marketed to avoid chapping and often used in many skincare products. Petrolatum can actually interfere with the body's natural moisturizing capabilities, putting you at greater risk of harm. What is more, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, associated with cancer, can contaminate this ingredient.
Mineral Oil – It is a prevalent component in baby products, haircare, and skincare. You can find it in foundations, moisturizers, baby oil, hair conditioners and lip balms. Being a cheap oil, it is used for cost savings in most items as a filler and 'moisturizer'. It won't do your skin any good. It may seem that mineral oil has a hydrating effect, but it actually seals the skin and prohibits it from breathing. It does not contain any nutrients at all.
Polyacrylamide is used under the ingredient name Polyacrylamide; acrylamide; polyacrylate, polyquaternium, acrylate, anti-ageing products, and facial moisturizers, lotions, colour cosmetics, hair products, sunscreens, and more. It can disintegrate into acrylamide which may hinder reproduction, create toxins in development, and is carcinogenic.
Hydroquinone – Hydroquinone is a skin-bleaching chemical in an emulsion, cream, lotion or gel. Exposure to sunlight, however, reverses the hydroquinone effects. Side effects such as skin irritation, dryness, itching, mild contact dermatitis, redness or allergic reactions can occur in some people. If used for the long term, ochronosis could develop, resulting in blue-black pigmentation and caviar-like spots.
Phenoxyethanol –In cosmetics, it is used as an antibacterial and stabilizer in perfumes. If ingested, inhaled, or absorbed into the skin, phenoxyethanol is very toxic. In the case of nursing mothers or babies, special caution should be taken. The brain and the central nervous system may be affected by it. It also irritates the ears, the eyes and may cause the skin to blister. Many skincare products contain phenoxyethanol in small amounts, which is "not harmful" to the skin. Still, it will accumulate and potentially affect you if you use the product several times a day, every day.
Fragrances – Why fragrance (also called perfume) is bad for your skin? These human-made, engineered scent which may contain a combination of multiple chemical ingredients, including hormone disruptors and allergens. The fragrance is a mix of natural and synthetic ingredients of aromatic extracts used in nearly every beauty product. It has a lot of unspecified toxic chemicals that can be dangerous to you. Without you realizing it, Fragrance can irritate the skin, have toxic hormonal effects, and even cause cancer. It can smell fantastic, but it can have not-so-great effects on your health and skin. As an alternative, try to find natural fragrances that are chemical-free.
Parabens –It is a type of preservatives widely used for bacterial and moulds growth prevention, such as methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, and ethylparaben. Parabens are hormone disruptors that may change essential hormone functions in the body.
Sodium Laureth Sulphate ( SLES) & Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) – SLS and SLES are surfactants that can trigger skin irritation or allergies. A by-product of a petrochemical process called ethoxylation and is used to make other chemicals less harsh. It is most often compromised with1,4-dioxane.
Triclosan and Triclocarban – These antimicrobials are harmful to the marine environment and may affect the reproductive systems of human beings as well. In many consumer products, this ingredient is used to minimize or eliminate bacterial contamination. Some antibacterial soaps and body washes, toothpaste, and some cosmetics have this ingredient added to them.
Alcohols – The alcohols are good and bad, of both types. Some of the bad alcohols are benzyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, methanol, propanol, and alcohol denatured. They can also trigger inflammation because they remove the skin's natural barrier so that the skin can be incredibly dry and irritating. It breaks down the barrier called skin mantle and destroys the substances that protect your skin’s health over the long term. Alcohols, though, make you feel good because they're light and don't make the skin feel greasy. It makes inflammation even worse and also leads to an increase of acne-causing bacteria.
Paraffin – Paraffin is known to clog pores because it does not break down easily. It is commonly used in its oil form in skincare products, and it is a derivative of petroleum. Overall, it is not good for the skin. Paraffin found in products under the following names: Mineral Oil, Paraffinum Liquidum, Vaseline, Petrolatum, Oleum Paraffini. When people use creams, it gets soaked in clothing or bedding, which is very risky. The fierce and rapid ignition can lead by a cigarette, a candle, or any source of the fire. After all, candidates are made from this and give off toxic fumes (toluene and benzene) that are associated with asthma and lung cancer.
Lead – Your day is incomplete without wearing lipstick to work? We need this reality check then! Lipsticks, eyeliners, foundation, and whitening toothpaste contain lead. Lead is not related to lipsticks directly but is a common dye contaminant used in lipsticks. Lead is a heavy metal that is present in the crust of the earth naturally. We are exposed already to enough lead in our environment.
If you are worried about these synthetic ingredients' health and environmental effects, moving to natural skincare and beauty products will ensure that your routine is free of harmful substances. When you buy, it's also important to keep a close eye on the ingredient label. In them, even items such as lip balm may have tons of needless stuff. To keep your skin clean and looking at its best, be careful with the products you use.
In the world of skincare products, don’t assume that “you will get what you are paying for”. Although this is the case in many other sectors, it is not so different in the world of personal care.
5 steps to Switch Toward 'Clean Beauty'
If your products containing any of the above ingredients think before using it. Talk to friends or take an appointment with any good dermatologist to streamline your routine. No matter what kind of products you're using, it's a smart idea to do this.
If you have any skin related problems, talk to your dermatologist as what ingredients in skincare products will be beneficial/helpful for you.
Look for targeted ingredients and If you come across one which you think can be good for you, check all its ingredients before buying.
If you are still suspicious about the product, talk to people (friends and family) who are aware, know, and buy frequently.
If you are using more than one product and switching to the new ones, start slowly. You won’t know what caused or triggered the reaction (if at all happens) if you change everything at once. Introduce one new product per week. Be vigilant with the outcome. It may take longer to see a difference in your skin if you have previously used traditional skincare products and converted to natural ones. This doesn't mean that the product is not working, but something to observe or note is this waiting time.
Please remember every good thing takes time.
The above-provided information is purely based on my own research and study through different sources and hope this is a useful resource for you!
Let us know if you have any additional ingredients you think should be added to the list which can harm skin!
Please like and comment. We'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions!!
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