It seems unbelievable, but a lot of skin care creams and products are full of ingredients that can actually damage your skin over time.
In this article, I'll talk about a few of these, so you can learn to avoid them
Mineral Oil
First off we have mineral oil. Mineral oil is used in hundreds of skin care products. Mineral oil can also go by the names petrolatum, liquid paraffin, and paraffin wax on the label. It is used in skin care products so often for one reason: it's very, very cheap. The truth is, the companies use it only to make more money!
When you apply a mineral oil based product on your skin, your skin suffocates, because mineral oil will clog your pores. It tampers with your body's ability to get rid of toxins and can lead to serious acne flare-ups. Mineral oil also irritates your skin if you use it for a longer period of time.
Your skin can also become dependent on it, which can lead to chapping and dry skin. Last, but not least, it can cause your skin to age faster. Frankly, I’m enraged that substance is even allowed in skin care products at all!
Fragrances
Fragrances can smell nice, but I would recommend that you use a high-quality perfume or cologne instead. In fact, your skin care products shouldn't contain any fragrances at all. The reason for this is that many fragrances are made from ingredients that are toxic or carcinogenic, and you absolutely do not want those things on your skin.
Your skin is the largest organ of your body, so you have to remember that anything you put on it will be absorbed into your body. It would be best not to use any fragrances or perfumes at all, but let’s be realistic. I know that people won't stop using perfumes altogether. However, if you use a good quality perfume which is perhaps made with natural ingredients also, you will only use a tiny amount of it on a limited area of your skin, and still smell good.
This is in my opinion much better than using a skin care product that you will be applying all over your skin. Using just a dab of fragrance here and there instead of all over your skin is much better.
Dioxane
Another substance still used in skin care products is called dioxane. Dioxane is actually a synthetic derivative of coconut. You will notice that it usually contains high concentrations of 1,4-dioxane, which is easily absorbed by your skin. And why is that important?
This might sound crazy, but believe me on this: dioxane is actually classified by the US National Toxicology Program as "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen" - meaning it is believed to cause cancer. That's not all - even the FDA encourages manufacturers to remove 1,4-dioxane from cosmetics, but it is not required by federal law. I don't know about you, but I find that terrifying. I personally recommend everyone to stay as far away from dioxane as they possibly can.
Parabens
There are four different kinds of parabens: butyl, ethyl, propyl and methyl paraben. Many lotions, creams, and moisturizers use parabens as preservatives, allowing them have a longer shelf life.
The reason they use parabens is purely for economical reasons, not because they would be good for your skin. Recent studies suggest that parabens could cause cancer and interfere with your body's endocrine system. On top of that they may also cause allergic reactions and skin rashes.
I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t want these things on my skin!
Alcohols
There are two types of alcohol that are used in skincare products - Petroleum based alcohols and plant based alcohols. Plant based alcohols are non-drying to the skin and should not be confused with petroleum based alcohols which have a negative drying effect on the skin. The different petroleum based alcohols which you should seek to avoid but will find in various skin care creams are called ethanol, ethyl alcohol, methanol, isopropyl alcohol, benzyl alcohol, and SD alcohol. They strip away your skin's natural acid mantle, making you more susceptible to bacteria, moulds and viruses. Plant based alcohols lice cetyl alochol and cetearyl alcohol on the other hand are not harmful in skin care at all.
If you choose natural skin care products without these ingredients, you will be much better off healthwise and also your skin will be able to breathe and rejuvenate itself naturally.