There are so many skin care products available in stores. While some countries have regulations, not all have the same regulations. And then there are only minimal regulations. The governments and authorities haven’t put a halt on all toxins that affect us negatively.
We don’t all have time to create natural skin care products. Sometimes we just want something quick to grab and use daily, especially if we’re traveling.
However, you still want something good for the skin. It’s not enough to look at the marketing material. You can just take a quick look at the list of ingredients to see if there are certain ones that help the skin. You need to look out for the harmful toxins.
Here is your ultimate list of all the toxins to look out for and just what they’re going to your body.
Watch Out for Parabens
One of the most commonly used preservatives is a paraben. Parabens stop bacteria from growing and prevent yeast and mold forming in the skin care products.
That’s a good thing, right?
Well, not quite. Parabens also produce properties that mimic estrogen. That means they put extra hormones into your body that can lead to cancer, specifically breast or ovarian cancer. Researchers have found that the chemicals are absorbed directly through the skin and do lead to tumors in the breasts.
Surprisingly, parabens are found in shampoos, cleansers, body washes, makeup, and so much more. Make a habit of avoiding anything that includes them for the sake of your health—not just your skin.
Avoid the Synthetic Cancers
Those skin care products that are bright blue or luminous green aren’t good for you. Honestly, the colors should be a good indication of that, but many of us are drawn in by the pretty products, right?
The problem is in the synthetic colors. You’ll know if your products have them because you’ll see D&C [colour] [number] in the list of ingredients.
These colorsare created through chemical and tar-like sources. They’re carcinogenic, which means they are linked to causing cancer. They are also linked to children suffering from ADHD or people dealing with skin irritations.
Synthetic colors are so bad that the European Union has banned it. Why hasn’t the rest of the world?
Consider “Fragrance” Carefully
The whole point of some skin care products is the scent they give. These scents are created a category called “fragrance,” and that isn’t a good thing.
Honestly, it’s difficult to tell what is added to a “fragrance.” The companies like to keep their formulas secret, so they can’t be copied by competitors. Most of the concoctions are full of chemicals that will be bad for you. They’re linked to respiratory problems and skin irritations.
Make sure you know the exact ingredients added to any product that you buy. If you can’t be certain, you don’t want to buy it.
Stay Clear of Phthalates and Triclosan
Have you noticed that most of, many of these chemicals are hard to say? Some of them come up as incorrect words for spell checkers because they are so out-of-the-ordinary. Any word that you can’t pronounce on skin care products needs to be avoided. This includes the likes of phthalates and triclosan.
The first is a set of chemicals used in many types of products. The chemicals help to keep plastics soft and flexible. You’ll likely see “dibutyl phthalate” or “diethyl phthalate” depending on the type of skin care product you’re buying.
All types of phthalates have been linked to breast cancer or distorted breast development in young girls. They’re also linked to congenital disabilities in all babies.
Many products won’t include phthalate on their ingredients list. It’s going to be one of those things added to “fragrances,” so you may not even know you’re adding the toxins to your body.
As for triclosan, this is a chemical that disrupts everything about the body. It has been linked to preventing antibacterial products from working and disrupts the reproductive and thyroid hormones. Unfortunately, it’s added to antibacterial soaps, making the soaps completely ineffective. It’s also widely used in deodorants and toothpaste.
Find Out if Formaldehyde Is Added
This is a toxin that you’ve likely heard of. You know that it’s bad for you, but did you also know that it’s included in a variety of skin care products? It’s one of the most common used options around the world, despite being a carcinogen. It’s highly linked to nasal cancers, as well as allergic reactions on the skin.
It’s meant to prevent bacteria from growing within the skin care products. That would be great if it weren’t extremely damaging to the body. It directly affects the immune system, stopping it from working as effectively as possible.
You’ll find it in body washes, eye shadows, cleansers, and hair products.
What Out for Sunscreen Chemicals
You need to wear sunscreen to protect against the sun’s harmful rays. But you need to watch out for harmful chemicals in the sunscreens. I know how annoying and frustrating reading this is going to be—I remember finding out the same thing.
Sunscreens use the likes of methoxycinnamate, avobenzone, benzophenone, and PABA. They’re linked to disrupting various elements in the body and are among the easiest to absorb directly into the areas that are most affected.
The products work on a cellular level. Rather than protecting your cells from the damage from the sun, the toxins make the damage more likely!
The good news is you can make your sunscreen without all the chemicals. It will take a little extra work, but at least you’re aiding the health of the skin cells!
Avoid DEA, MEA, TEA, and Other Initial Words
All those words that are initials should be avoided. This is especially the case for DEA, MEA, and TEA. They act as emulsifiers within the products, but they also cause harm to the body. They also help to make products foam.
Like many of the other toxins already mentioned, all these initial ingredients have been linked to causing cancer. You’re putting something in the body that will affect the repair and growth of cells, making it easier for free radicals to do more damage.
Of course, you’re putting the products directly onto your skin. They’re found in the likes of body washes and shampoos, where we all want a foamy texture to feel like we’re washing clean.
Know the Products that Have Ethoxylated Surfactants or 1.4-Dioxane
You will never see these toxins listed on ingredients. They’re a by-product rather than an actual ingredient added to your skin care products. You’ll likely find that ethylene oxide is added to the list of ingredients, if it’s not part of the legal loophole of “secret ingredients.”
The idea of the chemicals is that they make all the other chemicals in your products less harsh! To make matters worse, 57% of baby products include 1.4-dioxane, according to the Environmental Working Group.
If you can’t find ethylene oxide on the list of ingredients, look out for anything that includes the letters “eth” within the names. They will create the harmful by-products.
Avoid Anything with Coal Tar
Coal tar sources need to be avoided completely. Of course, they’re not always mentioned on your products. You may see something called toluene, which is a coal tar/petroleum source. This can also be listed as toluol, benzene, and methylbenzene, among others.
All coal tar ingredients are completely banned in the EU. However, the rest of the world still allows them. To give you an idea of why they’re so bad, they’re included in paint thinners to dissolve the actual paint! If the chemicals are needed for that, of course, they’re going to be damaging to your skin.
Coal tar sources and substances have been linked to skin irritations, nausea, immune system damage, congenital disabilities, and so much more.
The sources are most commonly found in nail treatments and polishes and hair bleaching/colouring products. Some others are found in anti-dandruff and anti-lice shampoos and some dry skin treatments.
You may overlook the coal tar substances. They can be included as a synthetic coloring. Of course, you need to avoid the synthetic colorings, anyway, so you should avoid them all!
Check for Any Added Metals
Something that is surprising is that some skin care products use metals. Throughout history, mercury and lead were used in makeup. People suffered from poisoning because the metals were absorbing straight into the blood stream.
Now that we know these metals are bad for us, you would think that they’d be banned from makeup and skin care products, right? Well, unfortunately not. Despite being linked to poor brain development, causing cancer, and death, lead, and mercury are still found in various types of makeup.
More commonly, they’re in lipstick, mascara, hair dye, and even eye drops! You won’t usually see them on the ingredient list since they’re classed as a contaminant. Check for the comprehensive research on your favorite items and make sure there are no traces of the metals found.
Drop the Mineral Oil
I know seeing the word oil will make you think that this is good for you. Unfortunately, it one oil that you want to keep away from your skin.
It’s not technically a toxin within itself, but it does cause a major problem for your health. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most common ingredients found in moisturizers, styling products, and baby oils. After all, it’s an oil and moisturizing right?
Well, the oil leaves a film behind on your skin. This film blocks the pores and makes it impossible for the skin to release toxins within your body. Your kidneys must do more work to get all the harmful stuff out of your body.
Check Your Body Washes for Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
You wash your body to remove the dirt and grime, right? You want to keep it clear so that you can reduce the acne on your body and face. Well, you want to make sure that your washes and cleansers don’t include sodium lauryl sulfate.
This toxin is known for making cystic acne worse. In fact, it’s a contributing factor for all types of acne, but you’ll find it appears more around the chin and the mouth.
And that’s not all. This toxin has been linked to other skin irritations, disruption within the oil production, and an increase in canker sores. Some studies have shown that the toxin can damage the eyes. Sure, the products will tell you to avoid the eyes and rinse thoroughly if that happens, but it’s not always easy to avoid the eyes completely, right?
Maybe the companies just shouldn’t put the harmful chemical in!
You will find the sulfate in the likes of toothpaste, body wash, face wash, shampoo, and even foundation. The whole point of it is to create the foamy liquid when you wash. Do you need it though to know you’re cleaning your body?
Get Rid of All Propylene Glycol
Propylene glycol is used for conditioning the skin. Because it’s an organic alcohol, there is the misconception that it isn’t that bad. That may be why manufacturers put it in shampoos and conditions, makeup, sunscreen, and many other skin care products.
The problem is that it’s been linked to the cause of dermatitis. It’s also linked to the increase in breaking out in hives and suffering from more skin irritation.
Some manufacturers have tried to overcome this by putting low concentrations of it in. You only need 2% concentration levels to suffer from the side effects. It’s just better to scrap it completely.
It’s time to get rid of all the harmful toxins from your skin care products. I know that making your natural options is time-consuming, but it is one of the healthiest things that you can do. If you want to buy options in the store, look out for products that contain any of the above toxins. They’re just not worth it.
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