8 Harmful Ingredients to Avoid in Your Skincare Product
Products produced for beauty and skincare are highly common. Most people use about twelve personal care items in a single day, often in the form of chemicals, all of which involve various harmful ingredients.
Analysis reveals that in skincare products, the skin consumes up to 60% of the chemicals. These then come into close interaction with the bloodstream which may contribute to severe health problems. Everything we place on our bodies should be as safe and healthy as what we put in our mouth, but not many people are clear on this. Here, we consider 8 toxic ingredients that should be avoided when buying skincare products.
Parabens
Parabens are a whole class of compounds that help maintain the shelf-life of products. When you go through several of your skincare items, the most popular composition would be the parabens. You’ll find them in make-up, night cream, face wash, body wash and shampoo – in fact, they’re everywhere.
Parabens in the body will imitate estrogen which disrupts our delicate hormonal balance. They have been related to breast cancer, and as they serve as a disruptor to hormones They can also contribute to issues with reproduction and fertility.
Parfum or artificial fragrance
Almost any modern skin care and beauty product includes artificial fragrances. Manufacturers may choose not to disclose what’s really in their fragrances, and you’ll only see Fragrance or Parfum on the list of ingredients while it could really be a mixture of allergens, carcinogens, irritants and endocrine disruptors.
Petrolatum
Petrolatum is a skin protecting rich emollient and approved by most country’s drug agencies. It is one of the popular agents for dry skin. Petrolatum, although licensed for human use, is a potentially harmful skincare substance. As a result of cheap imitation, contamination concerns are high and can lead to negative results.
Although it has no moisturizing properties, petrolatum is found in moisturizing products, such as lip balms and moisturizers. Rather, it creates a barrier that maintains moisture. At the same time, it prevents external moisture from being absorbed. This results in the skin unable to breathe and eventually drying out.
Instead of products with this harmful ingredient, consider trying moisturizers with natural ingredients such as Okana Moisturiser. Products like these contain zero chemicals and are ideal for any skin type.
Phthalates
Phthalates are known to induce hormone dysfunction and are alleged carcinogens. They are especially harmful to foetuses and can result in birth defects in male children. They can interfere with fertility, and are associated with low sperm count. They are also believed to play a role in breast cancer, Endometriosis and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, diabetes and obesity. According to studies, women with the maximum blood and urinary rates of endocrine damaging chemicals and phthalates tend to experience menopause much earlier than others. Certain phthalates are prohibited by the European Union.
Sodium lauryl sulfate
Found in: body wash, shampoo, foundation, face wash, toothpaste and mouthwash, It has been discovered that SLS causes or leads to: skin irritation, canker sores, disturbance of natural oil balance in the skin and damage to the eye. It is also commonly believed that acne (especially cystic acne) around the mouth and chin is a major fallout of SLS.
Lead
Although lead is never deliberately added to beauty products as an ingredient or as an additive, since it is found naturally, small traces can still be found, most generally in products such as lipsticks.
According to the FDA, the exposure to lead from the lipstick is primarily through swallowing, such as after a customer licks her lips, so unintentionally, you could ingest tiny amounts of lead without even knowing it. Lead is a neurotoxin and can even be hazardous in small doses. It has been related to a variety of health problems, including language and behavioral difficulties, decreased fertility, hormonal shifts, menstrual disturbances, and the delayed start of puberty in girls.
Sunscreen chemicals
These chemicals act to absorb ultraviolet light as a sun screening agent. The chemical compounds in sunscreens however are endocrine disruptors and are thought to be absorbed easily into the body.
Oxybenzone is another chemical found in the sunscreen with the highest risk. It acts as an estrogen in the body, disrupts the production of sperm in animals and is connected to endometriosis in women. Cell and laboratory animal studies suggest that oxybenzone and its metabolites may negatively influence the hormone system. It also elevates skin allergy rates.
Conclusion
These are only a few of the ingredients which you should stay away from.
If you are interested in getting the best out of your skin care routine, it would definitely be worth getting to know the ingredients in your skin care products.
With so many chemicals found in your bathroom products, you can be sure most of them have not been proven to be safe on the human body.
When buying makeup and skincare products, make sure to take extra precautions. Scan the label carefully and do some work and find out more about the ingredients that you can stay away from.
